


Before Crisis II: The Crisis

by Legendary_Turk



Category: Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), On The Way To A Smile: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:21:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 55,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26558812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Legendary_Turk/pseuds/Legendary_Turk
Summary: A novelization of Final Fantasy VII from the Turks' point of view. Follows the main storyline from start to finish with reference to other titles of the Compilation.
Relationships: Elena & Reno & Rude & Tseng (Compilation of FFVII)
Kudos: 14





	1. The Aftermath

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/09, 19:40—21:00**

The Turks had done it all in the first seven years of the new millennium—warring with Avalanche, defecting from Shinra, vanquishing Zirconiade, and saving the Planet from destruction. They had experienced sacrifices and heartbreak, all for the good of the world, while still putting their work above all else. Their biggest loss, however, was the trust of President Shinra and his board of directors. By leaving the company, if only for a moment to aid their former commander, the Turks had done something that wasn't in Shinra's best interests.

"President. I think the correct course of action here is to abolish the Turks altogether and execute the three who survived."

Tseng swallowed hard at Scarlet's words, and raised his head shamefully to see President Shinra's fierce eyes, glaring back in anger. He peeked at the other Shinra Executive, Reeve Tuesti, who remained quiet as his opinion carried no weight in the final decision. President Shinra stood up after a tense silence, and nodded to Scarlet one last time before looking ahead at the Turk.

"Well then, I will now announce the verdict," he spoke, and Tseng felt his heart rate increase tenfold. "The punishment I sentence to the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department, also known as the Turks—"

"Wait."

A clear voice suddenly sounded from the back, breaking the stillness of the conference room. Tseng turned around and saw Rufus Shinra standing at the doorway, accompanied by Reno and Rude. Surprised murmurs filled the room as the Vice President took a step forward, his blue eyes locked on his father's.

"Rufus?"

"What are you doing here?" Scarlet scowled in confusion. "I thought you were on a long-term business trip."

The Vice President waved dismissively. "I'm here to stop the Shinra Company from making its greatest loss."

"...Loss?"

"The prosperity of our company is already solid," President Shinra said with a frown.

Rufus scoffed at his father's nonsense. "Somehow, in my absence... you seem to have become an extremely senile old fool."

"What?!"

"An entrepreneur should always be prepared for any risk, as the President himself has taught me. Perhaps I should explain."

"You... _what_?"

Tseng watched carefully as Rufus made his way to the front. The Vice President still had the face of a young man, but his blond hair was now slicked and groomed professionally. Anticipation welling with every step, Tseng took a quick glance back at his colleagues, Reno and Rude, and wondered how they came to terms with Rufus. He didn't expect to see any of them here.

"To be blunt..." the Vice President began, handing a report to his father. "I'm saying let the Turks continue."

Scarlet grimaced at the man's suggestion. "But—"

"The very existence of the Turks is a risk to the company," the President argued.

"That way of thinking is a mistake," Rufus cut in with a glare. "Veld and the leader of Avalanche have been assassinated. It is a mistake to not recognize that as the extent of the Turks' loyalty. Any objections?"

"Hmph," President Shinra made a sound of disgust as he analyzed the report. Scarlet leaned over for a glimpse and hastily shook her head in disapproval. Before she could object, the President began to read the statement aloud. "Leader of Avalanche assassinated. Turks kill former Chief, Veld. Twelve of the fifteen Turks... killed in the line of duty."

He fell silent again and pulled out a pen from his pocket. After a slight pause, he signed the report and shoved it to Reeve, who proceeded to sign it immediately. Tseng stayed still while Reno and Rude looked at each other and shared grins.

"Tseng, Reno, Rude," President Shinra called out.

"Sir?"

"The Turks are pardoned... but for now, you'll continue to be on probation under Heidegger's command. And should any of you misbehave again..." He shot a glare to his son. "Rufus, you'll pay for it."

The young man nodded. "Of course."

"Turks. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir."

* * *

Pulled back from the brink of execution, Tseng, Reno, and Rude gathered on the helipad of the Shinra Building. Their lives had been spared and it was all thanks to Rufus, the Vice President of the Shinra Electric Power Company. Despite their recent betrayal to Shinra and the loss of their comrades, the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department, the Turks, was going to live on.

"Considering the trouble you've caused," Rufus said, smiling faintly, "Tseng, that was a very good outcome."

"We owe you a lot, Mr. Vice President," Tseng replied in appreciation. "On behalf of all the Turks, I thank you."

"Don't misunderstand." Rufus shook his head and turned away, looking over the city of Midgar. "I did not do this for your sake." After a short pause, he walked back to the three Turks and nodded to each of them. "From now on, you can show your gratitude to me in your work."

"Yes sir."

A helicopter lowered to the ground and Rufus walked towards it, giving the Turks no further attention. Reno sighed as he watched the Vice President leave without a goodbye, his destination set for the city of Junon. As the helicopter took off, he turned to his longtime partners, Tseng and Rude.

"Only the three of us..."

"Insufficient?" Rude said, his eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses.

"In any case, we will always carry out our duty," Tseng told his two subordinates. "For the Chief... and for our lost comrades..."

The three Turks came together and shared another silence under the night sky. Reno brought his hands to his head, fingers grazing his unkempt red hair and the goggles he wore on his forehead. Tseng straightened out his uniform and took several deep breaths, his dark brown eyes looking down in both relief and sorrow. Rude, a man of few words, stood still and calm, towering over the two as his hands relaxed in his pockets.

Their silence was cut by a blaring alarm as red lights began to flash around the building. Reno and Rude shrugged at each other as they awaited the announcement of the emergency. Tseng, meanwhile, had an uneasy feeling inside... and a random thought that another crisis was starting for the Shinra Company. Clearly, his emotions were running a bit high.

" _Emergency alert! Emergency alert!_ _Intruders in Mako Reactor 1. I repeat, we have intruders in Mako Reactor 1._ "

Reno let out a snort. "Well then... straight back to work, huh?"

"Let's go," Rude agreed as he followed Reno towards the building. Quickly realizing that Tseng hadn't moved, they stopped after a few steps and turned to face him.

"Tseng, sir?"

He removed his ponytail with one hand, allowing his black hair to fall to his shoulders. "Reno, Rude," he finally spoke, raising his voice raised over the alarm. "Today marks the first day of the healing process. From now on, the Turks are a new organization. "

As usual, Rude had nothing to say and waited for Reno's response. "One thing won't change..."

"The pride in our work," Tseng finished for him. "Let's go."

Without Veld and all their comrades, the Turks were never going to be the same again.


	2. The Return of AVALANCHE

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/09, 21:10—23:45**

The Sector 1 Reactor—one of nine Mako Reactors in Midgar, and dozens more around the world. Built by the Shinra Electric Power Company, the Mako Reactors generated the world's primary energy source in Mako energy, extracted directly from the Planet's Lifestream. Despite the drastically harmful effects on the Planet, there was no denying of Shinra's profound contribution to society and everyday life. The megacorporation was ultimately too powerful to be stopped, having branched out into various industries to establish control over the world, from genetics engineering research to military affairs.

Ever since Mako energy was discovered thirty-eight years ago, only a few resistance organizations had significantly challenged Shinra's dominance. One recent example was Avalanche, the eco-terrorist rebels with the goal to save the Planet. Their leader had tried anything and everything in his arsenal to stop Shinra, but in the end, their numbers dwindled and the Shinra Army proved far too superior. After six years and hundreds of casualties on both sides, President Shinra proclaimed their hated enemies to be nothing more than a memory.

" _I repeat, we have intruders in Mako Reactor 1..._ "

However, that very announcement was a clear warning of Avalanche's likely return, just two months after their defeat. The Reactors had always been a popular target for them, and there _had_ been rumors of a second Avalanche, reforming in the city. Ever since the sudden reappearance of 'AVALANCHE' graffiti, Shinra had waited for them to make their move, and it seemed that today might be the day. Soon enough, they would finally be able to confirm whether or not the rumors were true.

Shinra Security had tightened, and the Turks were among those responsible for answering the call. They split into two groups, with Reno and Rude heading for the parkade, and Tseng buckling himself in a _B1-Alpha_ helicopter. He started the engine and plugged on his headsets, before hearing a voice over the radio.

" _Tseng! It's Heidegger! Hurry over to the Reactor! The Investigation Unit will be there shortly._ "

"I'm on it," Tseng said, relaying his message to his subordinates. "Reno, Rude. Head to North Edge Station."

The Turks, a longtime organization within Shinra, were professionals who engaged in reconnaissance and espionage, acting as an intelligence agency of sorts for the company. Their motto, which was to _complete the mission no matter what_ , had changed Shinra's perception of them over the years, turning them into dark agents who did all their dirty work. Although the Turks were good people at heart, the company had pushed them to do very questionable things to keep their jobs, including kidnappings and assassination without any regard to morality.

After Veld's departure from Shinra, the command of the Turks had been taken by Heidegger, the Head of Peace Preservation and Public Security. As a Shinra Executive, Heidegger was responsible for commanding the Shinra Army and their elite fighting force, SOLDIER. He was different from Veld in many ways, and showed very little respect to his subordinates, much like fellow Executive, Scarlet. The Turks had nurtured the same hatred for Heidegger even before he had taken over as commander—like many of their workmates from other departments, they all referred to him as a _hotheaded fuckwit_ with an annoying laugh.

" _There are three of them,_ " Heidegger growled, his voice already seething with anger. " _Three intruders in Reactor 1..._ "

* * *

Reno and Rude were on the Midgar Expressway, northbound to Sector 1 by motorcycle. They rode in separate motorcycles, communicating with each other over the radio, accelerating well past the speed limit. Despite the urgency of the situation, they still engaged in jokes and idle chatter throughout the ride, with Reno doing most of the talking.

"I've never seen the Chief with his hair down like that," he said at one point during the ride. "What do you think?"

"Hmm..."

Reno smirked. He appreciated Rude and his dull responses. "Maybe I oughta do the same."

"I would love to see it."

"But you've seen it so many times already! I look like a wet mop."

"..."

"Now that I think about it, I still dunno what _you_ look like with hair..."

"I don't either."

"We'll stop by Wall Market later and get you a fancy wig."

" _Reno, Rude._ " They were interrupted by Tseng's voice. " _We have an update from the Investigation Unit. The intruders have planted a bomb in the Reactor._ "

Reno nearly lost control of the handlebar. "Wha... w-what!?"

Rude, on the other hand, stayed calm. "Avalanche?"

" _Most likely,_ " Tseng said. " _The second incarnation._ "

"No one could stop them?" Rude asked. "What about the Roboguards?"

" _No... apparently not. Hundreds of civilian lives are at risk. Someone has to disarm the bomb before it's too late._ "

"How much time do we have?"

There was a brief pause on the other end. " _I'm not sure_. _The explosion could come any second. We're not dismissing the possibility of a suicide attack._ "

"So what's the plan?"

" _Evacuate Sector 1, while staying_ _at least three hundred feet away from the Reactor._ "

* * *

Arriving at North Edge Station, Reno and Rude parked their motorcycles and stared in the distance. They were safely away from the Sector 1 Reactor, but surrounded by massive crowds of people, running and screaming in confused horror. The yelling of Shinra patrolmen were heard in the plaza behind them, their warnings blaring over loudspeakers and resonating throughout North Edge Station.

"We'll split up here," Reno commanded, looking around his surroundings. "Uh... which way you wanna go?"

Rude pointed left. "I'll take the west side."

"East for me, then. Don't get any closer to the Reactor."

"Understood."

With that, Reno and Rude ran off in opposite directions. They didn't know how much time they had, but if there was one thing they did know, they didn't come here for nothing. They could still save many people simply by guiding them to safety.

Unfortunately, the detonation came just a minute later. From the helicopter, Tseng saw two massive fireballs erupting out of the Reactor, followed by a deafening explosion that shook the entire Sector 1 Plate. He observed the thick bursts of smoke that engulfed the night sky, fogging his view of the Plate two thousand feet below. He could clearly hear the frantic screams of the populace, blending in with the dying explosion.

"Fuck!" Reno cried as he returned to the plaza. He had no doubt that hundreds, if not thousands, were instantly killed. "We were too late..."

" _Damn,_ " Tseng commented. " _It was a well-planned attack._ "

"Totally AVALANCHE, right?!"

Looking around his surroundings, Reno spotted Rude in the crowd of bewildered citizens. The _baldhead,_ as he was often called, was easily distinguishable due to his towering height and the sunglasses he wore at all times... and of course, his natural baldness. Reno's appearance was even more striking, but he was only average in height, and therefore not as easily spotted in a large crowd.

"Rude!" Reno shouted, bumping and squeezing his way to his partner. "Rude!"

The baldhead reacted to the familiar voice, quickly realizing who was calling him. He hung his head and sighed. "This sucks..."

" _The terrorists have managed to escape,_ " Tseng's voice cut in. " _Find witnesses._ _Shinra troops are after them as we speak._ "

"Well partner..." Reno said with a nervous smile. "At least the backup power's runnin' fine..."

"I'll investigate topside."

"I'll take the slums, then."

* * *

For the next hour, the Turks searched all over Sector 1 for any clues on Avalanche. They stopped just before midnight, where the streets were still packed with civilians and emergency workers. Rude was already back in the plaza, helping in rescue and evacuation efforts as he awaited his partner's return from the Slums. Tseng, meanwhile, had returned to the seventy-story Shinra Building, monitoring the situation from Floor 63, the Turks' headquarters.

"Someone said a dark-skinned man with a gun on his arm," Rude reported. "And three troopers were attacked by a swordsman in Sector 8."

" _I got nothing..._ " Reno replied in a tired voice. " _I'm hungry. Let's get some food._ "

"We should head back now."

" _See you at North Edge?_ "

"Yes."

" _Chief, we're headed back to HQ._ "

" _Good work, both of you,_ " Tseng said. " _I expect a full report tomorrow on your findings._ "

As the call ended, Rude took a moment to look at the sky. Grey smoke was still spreading across the stratosphere, blocking his view of the full moon, and all the stars around it. The pollution in Midgar was horrible... but this wasn't the smoke caused by the Mako Reactors. It was caused by terrorists. Rude looked at the ground and sighed, knowing that Avalanche had finally made their return.


	3. Ancient and SOLDIER

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/10**

"Based on the intelligence gathered..." Rude summarized, looking across to his supervisor, "It would appear that their base is located in the Slums."

"As expected," Tseng replied. "However, the President has another job for us today."

"What is it?"

With a dejected sigh, he handed the mission paper to Rude, whose eyes lit up behind his shades. Sure enough, it was about the Ancient.

Aerith was the last known Cetra in the world—the last descendant of an ancient race believed to have spiritual powers, allowing her to speak with the Planet. Shinra believed that with her help, they would be able to seek the Promised Land, a paradise of abundant Mako and supreme happiness. The President had wanted her back for over fifteen years now, but the mission had been delayed for so long for various reasons. The most obvious reason, unbeknownst to anyone but the Turks, was that Tseng had developed a soft spot for Aerith over the years, having known her since the beginning of his career.

"We have until the end of day to bring her in," Tseng said, closing his eyes for a moment. "It's her or us."

"I'll get it done," Rude assured him.

Tseng shook his head. "I've already sent Reno to Sector 5. You may continue your investigation on Avalanche."

"Yes sir."

As Rude left his office, Tseng reread the mission paper and took a deep breath. He had always known that Aerith would one day fall back into Shinra's hands.

* * *

Following the Sector 1 attack, the city of Midgar had been placed under martial law. While the Shinra Army worked tirelessly in security, investigation, and rescue operations, Reno was grateful to be tasked with kidnapping. Bringing her in was never supposed to be a difficult task, and if he was being honest about Tseng and his feelings for the woman, he thought the whole thing was hilarious.

He walked down the helipad with a smirk on his face, knowing it was just another day at the office. The only difficult part, he thought, was having to tolerate the three troopers behind him. They were loud and obnoxious, reminding him of his teenage years where he treated every mission like a field trip.

As Reno hopped inside the chopper, a familiar sound echoed through the air. His eyes widened as the building flashed with red lights, declaring a second emergency in as many days. " _Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert!_ "

"Avalanche again?" Reno snarled, wondering aloud.

" _Intruders in Mako Reactor 5. I repeat, intruders in Mako Reactor 5._ "

He threw his hands up in frustration. "You're kidding me!"

As the alarm blared into his ears, he took a moment to decide what to do. It certainly wouldn't hurt to go investigate the Reactor, considering how close it was to the Slums.

"What're you thinkin'?" one of the troopers yelled out. "Let's go! Who cares about Avalanche?"

Reno ignored him and started the chopper, his destination set for the Sector 5 Slums. "Yeah, yeah," he murmured to himself. "Leave the SOLDIERs to it."

Despite his moments of laziness, Reno took his role as second-in-command very seriously. He had always made a point to never mix business with pleasure, and his casual appearance of an unbuttoned uniform depicted nothing more than his easygoing personality. As the senior Turk, he found himself piloting a helicopter more than anyone he knew. He even enjoyed it, especially search missions that required the occasional airstrike.

The flight from Shinra Headquarters to the Sector 5 Slums took little less than nine minutes. After landing the chopper, Reno looked around his surroundings. He didn't mind the Slums as much as most people from topside. Dark and derelict for the impoverished, every visit to the Slums reminded him of old times—both good and bad. It reminded him of how far he'd come in his life, from a thieving slum rat to a professional Turk.

"Alright boys," he said to the three troopers. "Let's get to work."

"Where are we going, Reno?"

"Hah! Would you look at that," the redhead scoffed. "Mr. Serious wants to know where we're going."

"Hey! That's not my name."

His smirk faded as he rolled his eyes. "Just follow me."

"Can you tell us more about this mi—"

_BOOM!_

A massive explosion erupted above them, causing tremors in the Sector 5 Plate. It was so loud that Mr. Serious fell to his knees. "Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" he screamed, looking up at the Turk like a scared child. "The heck was that?"

"Somebody just die?" yelled another trooper.

Reno lifted his face towards the ceiling of the Plate. "Shinra... if you let them blow up another..." He pulled out his PHS to call Tseng, only to put it away immediately as he realized there was no signal. "Oh well... Rude will find a way to capture them. Let's go."

He knew exactly where to go to find Aerith. She had always spent her free time in a deserted church, tending to her patch of blooming flowers. Grown and cultivated all by herself, the flowers were a remarkable feat considering the lack of sunlight in the Slums, as well as the unhealthy pollution caused by the Mako Reactors. After a short walk, Reno reached the familiar paths of the Sector 5 Slums, where the church was spotted from far away, towering over its neighboring buildings.

"I see it! I see it!" Mr. Serious exclaimed.

"Shut up," Reno scolded him. "You best behave or I'll gag your mouth with my socks."

Arriving at the church, the group stopped at the half-open door. One of the quieter troopers stepped ahead and asked, "Your orders, sir?"

"Wait here until I signal," Reno commanded.

Stepping inside, he looked ahead and saw a stream of light, filtering onto the flowers from an opening above. He heard chatter and laughter, his eyes narrowing as her feminine figure became visible at the end of the aisle. He noted her long brown hair and pink dress... but froze as he spotted another person, standing behind her. The man had spiky blond hair and wore the classic uniform of a SOLDIER 1st Class, a long broadsword hanging on his back. Reno couldn't believe what he was seeing. _What? He looks oddly familiar..._

He heard Aerith speak to the swordsman, "Sorry, I just..." Her voice faltered as she noticed Reno. "Oh, bad timing on my part."

"Don't mind me," the redhead called out. The swordsman took a step forward, drawing his sword.

"Cloud!" Aerith pleaded, clutching his arm. "Don't let him get to you!"

_Cloud._ That was his name. Reno had heard about him. Cloud, a Shinra infantryman who went missing during the Nibelheim Incident five years ago, alongside SOLDIER 1st Class Zack Fair. Later declared criminals by Shinra, the pair were tracked down by the Shinra Army in the Midgar Wasteland. Reno was well aware of Zack's fate... but what about Cloud? Had he not been with Zack during his final moments? Why was he wearing a SOLDIER uniform?

Reno felt his mind racing as he stood there, observing the man who shouldn't be alive. He was brought back to awareness when he heard him speak to Aerith. "Okay, I'll do it..." Cloud paused as he took another glimpse at the Turk. "But it'll cost you."

"Well then, let's see..." Aerith replied, releasing her hand off his arm. "How about if I go out with you once?"

Cloud nodded and walked towards Reno. "I don't know who you are, but..." he began, looking at him sternly. "Oh yeah, I know you. That uniform..."

Reno heard footsteps behind as he noted the blue glow of Cloud's eyes. "Hey, sis, this one's a little weird," Mr. Serious said.

"Shut up!" Cloud shouted, his sword raised. "You Shinra spy!"

"Reno! Want him taken out?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Don't fight here! You'll ruin the flowers!" Aerith yelled before running to the back. She pointed to the doorway and called for Cloud. "The exit is back here."

The troopers burst out laughing as Cloud ran after her. "They were... Mako eyes," Reno murmured, stomping through the flowers. Cloud must have been exposed to Mako during the five years he'd been missing. "Yeah, alright. Back to work, back to work." Before entering the doorway, Reno looked at the bottom of his right shoe and turned to the troopers. "Oh! And don't step on the flowers."

He smirked as they yelled in protest. "Hey Reno, you just stepped on them!"

The back room was badly damaged, its wooden floorboards pierced by an old rocket missile, spanning the height of the church. Reno quickly found Aerith and Cloud trapped on the second floor, their path blocked by the rusty missile. "There they are, over there!" he shouted as the troopers scrambled into position. He heard chatter between the Ancient and SOLDIER before the SOLDIER leaped over the missile, barely making the ledge.

"Aerith! This way!" Cloud motioned her to follow.

"The Ancient is getting away!" Reno roared, commanding the troopers to open fire. "Attack! Attack! Attack!"

"Eaygh!" Aerith shrieked as the floorboard erupted beneath her feet. She slammed against the side of the missile and slid along its surface, sending her down to the first floor. Mr. Serious went after her and she quickly found herself trapped in a corner.

"Aerith!" Cloud shouted in horror.

"Think we killed 'er?" Reno bragged as he watched her cower in fear. "They shouldn't have put up a fight, I say!"

"Cloud, help!" Aerith pleaded, backing herself against the wall. Mr. Serious stopped as he pointed his rifle at her, and waved for his buddies to come.

"Aerith! Hold on a minute!"

When Reno looked up, he saw Cloud on the third floor, pushing a large barrel and dropping it onto the high-sloped missile. The barrel quickly gathered speed as it made its way to the bottom, catching and squishing the trooper by surprise. Aerith took the chance to escape, running up the stairwell to the second floor. The two troopers chased after her, only for another barrel to intercept them, flattening their bodies as it rolled down the stairs.

Reno could only watch in amazement as the opportunistic young woman reached the third floor. Rejoining Cloud, she guided him to the exit and climbed through a hole in the roof. Reno didn't even think about going after them—he pulled out his PHS and called his supervisor. Tseng knew a lot more than he did about Cloud and the Nibelheim Incident.

"Reno."

"Chief, the Ancient got away," he reported. "But not without a little help from someone... from someone you'll never believe."

There was a long pause on the other end. " _Who?_ "

"Cloud Strife."

"... _Excuse me?_ "

"Cloud Strife, sir."

" _...Are you sure?_ "

"Yeah, positive!" Reno crowed, his voice wavering. "He had blond hair and Mako eyes and wore a SOLDIER 1st Class uniform with a sword—"

" _This is unbelievable,_ " Tseng cut him off. " _Cloud Strife is working for Avalanche. I saw him in the Sector 5 Reactor..._ "

"Huh?!" Reno's eyes flew wide. "No, what!? How do _you_ know?!"

" _Through security cameras, I saw that he was with two other people..._ " Tseng explained. " _There was a huge explosion... and... uh, the Shinra Army couldn't stop them from blowing up another Reactor._ "

"That doesn't explain how he ended up in the Slums..."

There was another pause. " _He must have fallen off the Reactor... or something._ "

"No way!" Reno cried out. "I mean, what are the chances?!"

" _Yeah... I don't know._ "

"Seriously..."

" _Aerith was there?_ " Tseng asked. " _What happened?_ "

"They were at the church! We would've had her if not for her new boyfriend. She's gone now."

" _Did you fight him?_ "

"Cloud? Naw. I mean, the troops did... kind of. But why does he have Mako eyes now? What's up with that?"

" _...I'm afraid I'm as confused as you are regarding everything the blond trooper has gone through. For now, return to the Shinra Building._ "

The call ended, and for a long moment, Reno stood in silence. The injured troopers crawled back to him and he drew in a deep breath, only now realizing that he'd failed the mission.


	4. One Last Chance

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/11, 10:30—11:05**

The following morning, Tseng was called into Heidegger's office. He was surprised to see him smiling when he walked in... but considering the situation with Aerith and Avalanche, he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

"As disappointed as President Shinra is," Heidegger began in a calm tone, "He is pleased... _very_ pleased to learn that we have identified three of the terrorists: Cloud Strife, Barret Wallace, and Tifa Lockhart. Cloud, a Shinra trooper who was supposedly killed in action five years ago."

"Yes sir," Tseng confirmed. "He was one of the many victims used in Hojo's experiment following the Nibelheim Incident. He was also one of the two victims who escaped five years later, the other being SOLDIER 1st Class, Zack Fair."

"And the Army never killed him?"

"It appears not."

"We'll kill him today. The location of Avalanche's hideout was confirmed last night," Heidegger noted, his bushy beard concealing his smirk. "Courtesy of Don Corneo, trusted informant of the Sector 6 Slums. Their hideout is in the Sector 7 Slums, but we don't know where exactly. Should you go investigate?"

Tseng looked at him and nodded. "Yes sir."

"Gya haa haa! That won't be necessary," Heidegger scoffed. "The Turks have a direct order from President Shinra. You ready for this?"

Slightly confused, Tseng gave no response and let him continue. Heidegger's grin grew wider.

"The President wants Sector 7 destroyed. _All_ of it."

Now he was very confused. _The President wants Sector 7 destroyed?_ "Sir... what does this mean? He... he can't be serious."

"Dead serious," Heidegger declared. "The Turks will activate the Emergency Plate Release System at the Sector 7 Pillar. This will break the Pillar's support, causing the entire Plate to fall down and crush the Slums! We'll send in our Rescue Unit and hold Avalanche responsible for the destruction."

Tseng's jaw dropped. He had heard about the Emergency Plate Release System once... it was a mechanism installed at the top of the Pillar of each Sector. Dozens of remote controlled bombs had been implanted inside the base of the Sector's Pillar, set off by activation of the EPRS. Little else was known about the EPRS even among the top Shinra Executives, and nobody knew why such a mechanism had to be installed in the first place.

"Sir, there are twenty-five thousand civilians in the Slums, and another forty-five thousand on the Upper Plate," Tseng reasoned, his voice suddenly wavering. "We will locate and eliminate the terrorists ourselves. AVALANCHE has only a handful of members. There's no need to take so many innocent lives with them..."

Heidegger frowned as he stroked his beard. "Well, I don't have a problem with that, and neither does Scarlet... or Hojo..."

"I'm just saying..." Tseng stuttered, his blood quickly running cold, "Think about all the loyal employees who live in Sector 7..."

"So ya think the President should reconsider?"

"Yes! There's also no guarantee that doing this will eliminate every member of AVALANCHE... they could be—"

"You're missing the point here," Heidegger cut him off. "What's important is the _message_ we send across, should any member of Avalanche happen to avoid the destruction."

Tseng couldn't believe what he was saying. "But... the message—"

"You're a Turk on thin ice!" he shouted, leaning forward and slamming his hands on his desk. "Consider yourself lucky that we've given you a second chance."

"What's the plan for evacuation?"

"There's no evac. Gya haa haa!" Heidegger laughed manically. "The people of Sector 7 won't have any idea. Remember Tseng, you're a Turk. And Turks complete the mission no matter what."

Tseng sighed in defeat, knowing there was no reasoning with his boss. "We'll get it done."

"Very well," Heidegger replied, pumping his fist in the air. "The deadline of your assignment is 5:30 PM. This is your last chance, Tseng."

"...Yes sir."

"Oh! Also, the President wants that Ancient as soon as possible."

Tseng narrowed his eyes. "What if she happens to be in Sector 7?"

"Don't worry about that!" Heidegger snarled. "It's a one in eight chance that she _won't_ be! You have until the end of day to bring her in."

"Yes sir."

"Excellent... make your preparations and don't fuck up!"

Clearly dismissed, Tseng hung his head as he walked out. _We're Turks... and Turks complete the mission no matter what._

* * *

" _Reno, Rude. My office at eleven._ "

Reno and Rude had spent the morning on Floor 61, their preferred place for leisure in the Shinra Building. The mood was light and the food was surprisingly good... and there was even a large tree in the center, separating the break area from the dining hall. In their mornings off, the Turks often found themselves in the lounge, cracking jokes and enjoying a meal. Without all their colleagues, however, Reno admitted that things hadn't been quite the same.

"Just the three of us now, eh?" he said.

Rude stayed silent for a moment, turning away and sipping his coffee. "Yeah..."

"You think Heidi's considered recruitin' anyone to join us?"

"Heh," the baldhead chuckled. "Not a chance."

"I think there's a high chance, y'know..." Reno argued. "I mean, once we have their trust back and everything. The Turks _need_ more than just three members. You don't think so?"

"We haven't recruited anyone in years."

"That's... not what I meant."

"If you want more Turks," Rude said with a glare, "Why don't you ask Heidegger directly? Or if you simply want to work with more people, why don't you step down as a Turk and join the Shinra Army?"

"No way in fuckin' hell am I ever leavin' the Turks," Reno replied defensively. "It just... it just feels a bit lonely these days. We were a bigger group back then."

Rude shrugged as he took a glimpse at the time. "It's five to eleven. We should get going."

"He probably wants us to catch the Ancient again..." Reno sighed.

Membership of the Turks had always been exclusive, with only fifteen members during the original Avalanche Insurgency. It had only been two months since many of them were secretly killed in their battle against Avalanche's Ultimate Summon, Zirconiade. Prior to the battle, President Shinra had ordered Tseng to assassinate Veld for leaving the company to save his ill daughter and former member of Avalanche, Elfé. Although the assassination was ultimately faked, it didn't change the fact that Veld and the missing Turks were forever exiled from the company. Reno was still sour about the whole situation, and Tseng had even admitted that if it wasn't for Rufus Shinra, he would have assassinated Veld and Elfé for real.

* * *

"Chief, what is it?" Reno called out, barging into Tseng's office with Rude. They found two chairs in front of his desk and sat down.

"We have two missions," Tseng said as he pulled out the mission paper, keeping it close to him. "Orders from the President."

His subordinates looked at each other curiously. "Let's hear it."

"The first one is about Aerith," he began, shaking his head at Reno. "The second one... involves the destruction of Avalanche's base of operations."

"Huh," Reno muttered, his eyes showing interest. "Where is it?"

"The Sector 7 Slums," Tseng muttered, slowly handing them the paper. He gulped as he felt his blood freezing again. "We are to destroy the Slums entirely by activating the Emergency Plate Release System located at the Pillar."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... _what_?" Reno spat, snatching the paper from him.

"This won't just take out the Slums..." Rude commented, "But Sector 7 entirely..."

Reno shook his head wildly. "Has the President completely lost his mind?! Does he realize how many people will die?"

"Seventy thousand in total," Tseng answered. "To compare, the death toll in Sector 1 was about three hundred."

"Fuckin' hell! _This_ is what we gotta do to regain Shinra's trust?!"

"There will be no evacuation."

Silence dropped for a full minute as Rude took a look at the mission paper. Reno's mouth stayed open, his shoulders drooping little by little, while Tseng took quick breaths and stared at his watch. _Six hours to the end of Sector 7._

"Chief..." Reno murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "We have to do this..."

"If we refuse... the Turks are done for..." Tseng replied with a sigh. "Heidegger will have someone else to complete the task in our place, and the end result will be the same for Sector 7. We will spare that someone the burden of a guilty conscience."

Reno leaned back on his chair and groaned. "Aahh... it's gotta a clean death for everyone, right?"

"For those in the Slums, yes," Rude made a logical guess. "But for those on the Plate... some could end up trapped in rubble for days."

Tseng pulled out a large paper and laid it out on his desk. "I got this from the Urban Planning Division," he said, showing them a three-dimensional diagram of the Sector 7 Pillar. "Here's how we'll tackle the missions."


	5. The Battle of Sector 7

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/11, 17:00—18:00**

It was peak hour in Midgar. The evening lights were shining down on the Upper Plate, its roads packed with activity after a long day. People filled the sidewalks, swarming from one place to another, while others waited impatiently in vehicles, caught in the traffic that would eventually take them home. A respectable number of pedestrians had put on filter masks as the air thickened with pollution, the Mako Reactors operating at full capacity.

All in all, it appeared to be a normal day for the average Midgar resident. But little did they know, that it would be the last day for an eighth of the population. It was the day where Midgar would lose the entirety of Sector 7, killing twenty-five thousand people in the process.

For the Turks, it was time to make that happen. Tseng, Rude, and Reno had boarded a _B1-Beta_ helicopter, unwillingly prepared to cause the deadliest catastrophic event in history.

"You okay, Reno?" Rude asked one last time as he piloted the chopper towards the Sector 7 Slums. Reno had volunteered to activate the Emergency Plate Release System, with the lives of everyone in Sector 7 on his hands.

"You always say, there's no mission impossible for the Turks," he answered confidently. "I'm fine."

The Emergency Plate Release System was a mechanism installed at the top of a steel tower, near the Sector 7 Pillar. Tseng had planned for this location to be the first stop, where Reno would hop onto the tower and activate the EPRS. After setting the twenty-minute time bomb, the Turks would proceed to Sector 5 and hunt down the Ancient.

The Sector 7 mission was far from what anyone would describe as _difficult_ , since all that was required was a push of a button. Reno was confident in his ability to do that, but he couldn't stop his leg from shaking as the chopper closed in on Sector 7, the massive Pillar standing in the distance. The simple push of a button was going to leave seventy thousand people either dead or injured, and for Reno and the Turks, there was no turning back.

A simple push was what the Turks had expected. What they _hadn't_ expected was any kind of resistance. Unfortunately, something didn't seem right when the steel tower came into view.

"What in the...?" Tseng gasped as he pointed ahead at the tower. Reno and Rude followed his gaze, and spotted a crowd of Shinra patrolmen on the steel catwalk. Most of the patrolmen were wounded while three or four others had their rifles pointed at someone. As the chopper got close to the tower, a bulky dark-skinned man became visible, firing bullets from his prosthetic arm.

"Hell no."

"Avalanche?" Reno guessed, his face close to the windshield. "Yep, the guy with the gun-arm..."

"How is Avalanche aware of Shinra's plans?" Tseng wondered aloud. "Rude, turn back a bit. Give me time to decide our next move."

"Got it."

As the helicopter turned away from the tower, Reno grabbed a pair of binoculars and looked through the side window. The gunman was far too powerful, it seemed, as he quickly dispatched the remaining patrolmen, bringing the total wounded to at least ten. Reno gasped as the gunman, now all alone on the catwalk, turned towards the chopper and fired, causing it to shake violently.

"Shit! He got us!"

"Should we airstrike?" Rude suggested.

"Not a bad idea... but just to get one crazy man? He's all by himself..." Reno peered through the binoculars again, only to see two people climbing the stairs to the top platform. "Forget what I just said. Two people came up the stairs and he's got backup now."

"Cloud Strife is there?" Rude asked.

"Damn, partner! I didn't even notice. And the third Avalanche member is a girl?"

"Yes. Her name's Tifa."

"And the other guy is Barret..." Tseng spoke, and then let out a deep sigh. "Here's the plan. Listen carefully. Our helicopter is not equipped with guns so an airstrike is out of the question. Reno, I want you to jump onto the catwalk and activate the mechanism. Rude and I will leave you there and head over to Sector 5. See that ropeway on the railing? That will take you straight to Sector 6. But we'll need you to stall Avalanche for a little bit so they have little time to escape. If anything goes wrong, give us a quick call and we'll come immediately."

"Sounds good," Rude agreed.

Reno stood up and nodded. "Leave it to me."

"Good luck."

Reno hopped on the helicopter's side platform and waited to get close to the tower. Gunshots followed the chopper as it came above the circular catwalk, finding the Emergency Plate Release System in the center. His eyes narrowed when the time came, and he took one last breath before swinging out of the helicopter. He landed perfectly in front of the EPRS, but found himself immediately surrounded by Avalanche.

"You're too late," he said, placing a finger just above the panel. "Once I push this button..."

"Wait! NO—"

"That's all, folks! Mission accomplished!"

" _Plate separation initiated. Plate separation initiated. Commencing separation sequence. Twenty minutes until detonation._ "

"We have to disarm it!" Tifa shouted, waving her arms frantically. "Cloud! Barret! Please!"

"I can't have you do that," Reno replied, slipping a hand into his pocket and retrieving his EMR. "No one gets in the way of Reno and the Turks..."

"You asshole...!" Barret yelled, his eyes flaring with anger. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

With a frustrated grunt, the gunman aimed his weapon and fired. Reno dodged easily, hurling himself over the mechanism before plunging towards the swordsman, poised to strike with his EMR. Cloud countered with the flat of his sword, the strength of the block causing Reno to stumble backwards. He reacted fast enough to leap over Tifa when she charged at him, giving himself enough space to cast his _Barrier_ spell. A transparent wall of Mako formed around him, softening the blow of gunshots and _Lightning_ magic that followed wherever he went. Barret never ceased his assault, screaming and cussing as he struggled to keep up with the Turk's tremendous speed. As soon as he stopped to reload, Reno pointed his EMR and used his _Pyramid_ spell, smirking as the stream of electricity struck its target and encased him inside a force field.

"What... what the shit is this?!" Barret screamed, his gunshots bouncing off the inner walls of the pyramid. "I can't move!"

"Try and break it if you can," Reno laughed at the gunman's futile attempts to free himself. Cloud ran to his aid, slashing the outer walls while Tifa surprised Reno with a torrent of punches. The redhead reeled back as a right uppercut caught his jaw, but he countered blindly with another shot of electricity, causing the fist-fighter to howl in agony, her body shivering uncontrollably. He lunged at her for a closeup attack, only to be intercepted by Cloud, who stepped in with a powerful swing of his sword, sending the Turk's weapon flying in the air. A hail of bullets came to him again, piercing his uniform as he somersaulted away from Cloud, frantically reaching for his dropped EMR.

"Just give up! Please!" Tifa pleaded, stopping briefly to watch him duel the SOLDIER. Reno gave her a quick smirk, and continued fighting off Cloud.

His agility was incredible... but he knew he couldn't keep up for much longer. Avalanche had blocked his escape route on both sides, keeping him confined to an endless cycle of cat and mouse, where he was very clearly the mouse. He still had the mental advantage, as he was certain that they weren't going to kill him. They needed him alive to stop the destruction of Sector 7, and Reno was going to do everything in his power to wait them out for as long as he needed.

* * *

"She's running towards Sector 5..." Tseng said, looking closely through the binoculars, "Carrying a young child..."

"Your orders?" Rude requested.

"Maintain current altitude, but reduce speed as we approach Sector 5."

"Roger."

Tseng did not expect to find Aerith that easily. He was convinced that she'd been in Sector 7, seeing that she was running in the same direction as everyone else, far and away from the deathtrap. Avalanche clearly knew what was happening, somehow... but Tseng was actually relieved to see so many people evacuate. He only now hoped that the terrorists themselves wouldn't make it out alive, and he was confident in Reno's abilities to stall them, at least for a few minutes.

"Looks like she's headed home," Tseng reported. "We'll beat her to it."

"Yes sir."

As the chopper turned towards Aerith's house, Tseng took a moment to think about how he should approach her. He could sneak up on her with handcuffs at the ready, or talk her out of sacrificing herself for the little girl. He could even use the girl as a hostage if the situation allowed it. Regardless, he was prepared to get it done as fast as he possibly could.

When the time came, Tseng parachuted down and landed in front of the house. He glanced through the closed curtains, wondering if her adoptive mother was home, and hid behind some flowers in her garden. His eyes narrowed when he heard footsteps coming his way, followed by cheerful laughter from the little girl. He crouched low and waited for them to arrive at the door, peeking through the flowers every few seconds.

At the right moment, he crept behind the two and called her name. "Aerith."

"Ah!" she squeaked with a flinch, whipping around to face him. "Tseng?"

"I, uh..." Tseng cleared his throat. "We've put this off long enough. Shinra needs you, and you're coming with me."

Her eyes widened as she heard the sound of helicopter blades cutting through the air. Swallowing hard, she looked at Tseng again... and screamed as he pulled out his pistol and pointed it at the toddler. "NO! Don't!"

"It's you or the girl," he said, shaking his head. The toddler hid behind Aerith as his other hand pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

"I'll go with you," she said without protest. "But please, let me take her inside first."

Tseng nodded, allowing them to go inside. The door closed on him and he pulled out his PHS. "Land."

As the chopper descended, he looked at his watch and saw eight minutes remaining on the timer. He sighed anxiously, wondering how Reno was holding up against AVALANCHE. The redhead _should_ have taken the ropeway by now, as he _should_ know that eight minutes was not enough time for Avalanche to escape.

When the door opened, Tseng stared at Aerith for a few seconds before finding Elmyra, standing behind her. "Please, Tseng," her adoptive mother begged. "Please think about what you're doing..."

"Mom..."

"Aerith, who took you to Sector 7 earlier?" Tseng asked with a glare. "Was it... Cloud?"

She nodded slowly. "Uh—"

Without warning, he seized her arm and swung her around forcefully. Aerith yelped as he slammed her against the side wall and held her wrists behind her back. With a rare smile, he cuffed them together and walked her away from the door, leaving Elmyra behind in a sobbing fit.

"AERITH!"

"N-no! Mom! Tseng, please—"

"You have the right to remain silent."

Gripping her wrists tight, Tseng walked her towards the helicopter as it made a soft landing to the ground. There was really no turning back now. The helicopter's side platform opened for them automatically, and without delay, he shoved her in and hopped aboard, locking the door shut. He went inside the chopper to join Rude, leaving her out on the platform.

"We have to go back to Sector 7," Rude said. "Reno could be in trouble."

Tseng looked at his watch and nodded. "Still six minutes until the bombs go. Let's go."

As the chopper left the ground, he looked over his shoulder and saw Aerith on her knees, helplessly defeated.

* * *

Reno didn't know how he was still standing. Perhaps it was pure willpower at this point... considering he had fractured his ribs and right ankle, and lost a full day's worth of blood. He could feel his face throbbing wildly from Tifa's punches, and the holes in his body courtesy of Barret. It was Cloud, however, who had caused him severe injuries to his ribs and ankle, coming within inches of slicing off his entire upper body. Nevertheless, Reno found himself on the attack from time to time, using his long-range _Pyramid_ spell to immobilize his enemies. Desperately waiting for his ride, he had long given up trying to flee to Sector 6.

"It's time."

He was ducking behind the control panel when the helicopter arrived, gradually lowering itself below the catwalk. Taking a quick glimpse at his watch, he leaped into the air and fired one last _Pyramid_ at his closest target. Tifa growled in frustration as he sprinted past her and towards the railing, smacking Barret with his EMR along the way. Gunshots erupted behind him as he jumped off the catwalk, landing hard on the metal platform of the chopper, next to Aerith.

Reno remained on the platform for a moment, writhing in agony as Aerith took a step back, horrified. As he began to crawl his way inside, a pair of black shoes appeared in his line of sight. He lifted his head painfully and saw Tseng, who gave him a quick nod before walking past him. Tseng narrowed his eyes as the chopper rose above the catwalk, revealing the sight of the three terrorists.

"I don't know how to stop this!" Tifa cried, unaware of the helicopter's presence. She was mashing random buttons on the control panel, with Cloud and Barret watching in confusion.

"It's not a normal time bomb," Cloud said, his voice barely audible.

"That's right," Tseng yelled from above. "You'll have a hard time disarming that one. It'll blow the second some stupid jerk touches it."

"Please, stop it!" Tifa begged.

Tseng scowled back. "Only a Shinra Executive can set up or disarm the Emergency Plate Release System."

"Shut yer hole!" Barret growled, and without hesitation, fired at the helicopter.

"I wouldn't try that..." Tseng shrugged, unperturbed by the coming bullets. Instead, he looked down at Aerith and smiled. "You just might make me injure our special guest." He leaned down and pulled the poor woman towards the railing, revealing her to Avalanche.

"AERITH!" Tifa shouted, her eyes quickly filling with tears.

"Oh, you know each other?" Tseng sneered, pretending to act surprised. "How nice you could see each other one last time. You should thank me."

"What are you gonna do with Aerith?!" Cloud asked.

"I haven't decided. Our orders were to catch the last remaining Ancient. It has taken us a long time, but now I can finally report this to the President."

Tseng shook his head as he realized he was trying to hold _laughter_. It was nervous laughter, but a time like this? What was wrong with him? Unable to think clearly, he clenched his teeth and prepared to pinch himself... only to hear Aerith's voice, cutting the confused silence between him and Avalanche.

"Tifa, don't worry! She's alright!"

And he slapped her. He _slapped_ Aerith across the face. He was completely losing it now.

"Aerith!" Tifa screamed.

"Hurry and get out!"

"Hahaha..." Tseng bit his tongue as a quiet chuckle escaped his lips. Pinching himself in the neck, he looked at his watch, and frowned as he saw fifteen seconds remaining on the timer. "Well, it should be starting right about now. Think you can escape in time?"

Rude piloted the chopper towards Sector 8 as the timer on the Emergency Plate Release System hit 00:00, and instantly, multiple explosions were triggered within the Sector 7 Pillar. The entire structure weakened as bits of concrete started to crumble and fall to the ground. As the rubble quickly piled up from the bottom, massive fireballs erupted around the Pillar as the bombs continued to explode one by one, unfolding a terrifying view for everyone in the Slums just seconds before their very deaths.

Eventually all the support that held the Plate was no more, as it slowly descended with the Pillar itself. Roads and buildings disintegrated in a terrifying earthquake-like form as power lines snapped off the electrical grid. As the falling Plate gathered downward speed, the people on the Upper Plate froze in extreme in horror while those in the Slums could do nothing but watch the ceiling come crashing down, about to crush and reduce them into mere flesh.

The helicopter had already reached Sector 0 by the time the Plate struck the ground with a powerful thud, echoing throughout the remaining Sectors. Even at two thousand feet above the surface, the Turks could clearly hear the screams of the people, mixing in with the thunderous noise that lasted for as long as two minutes.

Sector 7, one of the world's greatest metropolises, was now nothing more than dead bodies and a worthless pile of junk.


	6. Hojo's Specimens

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/11, 18:15—18:55**

Uncomfortable silence fell over Tseng and Rude on the helipad of Shinra Headquarters. Aerith Gainsborough was in front of them, her body shaking with sobs and gasps for air. The three of them were standing by the chopper, waiting for Reno to crawl his way out. After sustaining major injuries in his battle with Avalanche, the redhead was in a foul mood, refusing assistance from his colleague and supervisor.

When he finally made it out, Tseng drew in a long breath. "Can you stand?"

"Give me a break, man," Reno groaned, staying on the ground. "Fuck."

"Sorry we couldn't come sooner," Rude muttered, apologizing for already the third time. He pulled the wheelchair closer and kneeled down to help him up.

Once Reno was seated, Tseng looked at Rude and commanded, "Take him to the medical room. I'll take Aerith to the President."

"Yes sir."

"Well then..." Tseng paused awkwardly as he watched them leave. "Shall we get going, Aerith?"

Holding onto her handcuffed wrists, Tseng frowned as he walked her towards the Presidential Office, one level below the helipad. Although it was a short walk, he quickly found himself holding back tears, his lips quivering in a silent cry of despair. Part of him wanted to apologize to her and explain why it had to be done, while another part wanted to put her behind for good. He was so shocked by everything that he couldn't think of anything to say to her, and the future event of bringing her to Professor Hojo drained him emotionally. He'd been trying to figure _himself_ out as well, and why he had acted so strangely at the Sector 7 Pillar.

Floor 70 was the highest interior level of the Shinra Building, dedicated to President Shinra. It was a simple chamber with plenty of unused floorspace, consisting of several wooden pillars and a long red carpet leading eastward to the President's bulletproof desk, in front of the curved windows. His desk was the chamber's most significant feature, spanning over seven feet in length, complete with a large throne and Mako light strips around the perimeter.

Tseng found the President seated in his throne, observing Aerith from the distance. His secretary stepped aside as the Turk walked along the decorated carpet, the smell of cigar growing with every step he took. When the time came, the President took a big gulp of tea before leaning forward for a close look at his monumental prize.

"Brilliant... yes! Brilliant," he cheered. "You finally got the job done."

Tseng closed his eyes and nodded, choosing to remain silent.

"And the fall of Sector 7... brilliant! I saw it from up here and enjoyed every second of it."

"So it was your idea!" Aerith suddenly snapped. "How can you do this to the people of Sector 7?!"

Tseng had never heard her speak in such a tone. In a weak attempt to impress the President, he pulled her back and bent her arms in a painful arc. Aerith squealed in agony and squirmed wildly in his grip, but he only released it when she quieted down.

"Hahaha," President Shinra chuckled, "Brainwashed civilians like you already know that this was all Avalanche's fault." He paused for a sip of his tea. "And Shinra continues to do the right thing... to clean up all the mess that this... that this vermin Avalanche has made in the last few days. Avalanche... they were nothing but terrorist scum... they killed hundreds of innocent people and destroyed our precious Mako Reactors day in and day out! It was so nice to finally see the end of them."

"Cloud..." Aerith murmured as more tears flowed down her face. The President's smirk grew wider.

"Avalanche killed and the Ancient captured..." President Shinra paused as he looked at Tseng. "I am glad that the Turks were able to succeed, finally. Now we can proceed with our plans and seek the legendary Promised Land... and from there we will build Neo-Midgar with confidence. Remember now. This is only the beginning of Shinra's rise to pure dominance over the world. Take that Ancient to Hojo, immediately."

"Yes sir."

* * *

Rude sighed as he stood inside the Floor 48 medical room, waiting for a doctor to tend to Reno. The redhead was lying in bed with his face and upper body covered in towels. The infirmary didn't seem busy at the moment, but Rude could practically feel the thousands of injured townsfolk coming his way.

"This won't fix you... but the pain relief is worth it," he said, showing Reno a _Full Cure_ Materia, which he had taken from the medical kit. Although it was impossible for curative magic to heal wounds and broken bones, it was potent enough to provide instant pain relief. "We just need a doctor now."

"It's not gonna help," Reno whined, reaching for the Materia anyway. Full Cure was a powerful Materia... one that could take a heavy toll on the user's body if used without care. Rude was an expert at magic but even he didn't feel comfortable using it, often leaving it in the hands of a professional doctor.

"The wire at the Pillar," he mumbled, pausing to scratch his head, "Avalanche might have used it to escape."

"...Whatever. Nothin' I could have done to get to it."

" _This just in... an accident today..._ " Rude turned his attention to the TV; it was Shinra News. " _The worst in the history of the metropolis. But thanks to the quick response by those in charge, civilian casualties were kept to a minimum. The cause of the accident is unclear at this time... however, according to some sources it is believed to have something to do with the terrorist activities of the group, Avalanche._ "

"Turn it off," Reno demanded, his croaked voice seething with rage. "Turn off the damn TV."

Rude didn't hesitate to follow his order, grabbing the remote and pressing the power button. As soon as the room fell silent, he heard a familiar voice from the door. It was Reeve Tuesti. "So Sector 7 is gone..." the Shinra Executive said, looking down to face the injured Reno. "What happened?"

Rude took a quick glance around the room, making sure no one was nearby. "Avalanche tried to stop Reno from activating the Emergency Plate Release System at the Sector 7 Pillar," he answered in a monotone voice. "They failed... but not before they gave him some kind of beating."

Reeve nodded slowly. "I see... I tried to protest to the President about all this... but Heidegger and Scarlet, all the Executives... I guess I was alone."

"You're not alone," Rude corrected him as two doctors came in the room. "We didn't want to do it, but... we didn't have a second choice."

"The Mayor was against this too, but..." Reeve cut off with a sigh. "I have a meeting to attend to later tonight. As the Head of Urban Planning, it is my responsibility to estimate the damage costs... to rebuild Sector 7."

Rude said nothing as he watched the dejected man leave the room. Turning back to Reno, he saw the doctors checking on him, taking the Full Cure Materia from his hand. Judging by their golden bracelets, the doctors were experienced professionals who regularly tended to members from the Shinra Army. Treating an injured Turk was a rarity these days due to the exclusive membership of the organization.

"Hey, uh... Reno?" Rude called out, looking at his watch. "I'll see you later."

* * *

Tseng was outside the science laboratory on Floor 67, looking on at Aerith and Hojo from a distance. He had truly done it—he had given a woman he loved to a narcissistic mad scientist. As he stood there and watched the woman, still handcuffed behind her back, he was reminded of their first conversation together.

He was just a rookie when she first spoke to him. She was still a young child at the time, living a free life with her adoptive mother, away from Shinra for less than two years. She had noticed the teenage man watching her as she slid down the playground's Giant Mog, unaware of his identity at the time.

"Thank you."

Those were her first words to him. Tseng gave no response... he couldn't comprehend what he'd just heard from the girl. Aerith was so carefree, so willing to approach someone she didn't know, even after the torment she'd been through from the day she was born. She smiled at his blank stare and giggled.

"You're protecting me, aren't you?"

As far as the mission was concerned, the misunderstanding could have worked to his advantage. But he told her the truth instead. "I work for Shinra. My name is Tseng. I'd like to talk to you."

And just like that, her expression changed from happy to angry. "I _hate_ Shinra!"

Tseng felt a sense of relief as he watched the young figure run off, believing it was better to let her be. The next time they met was in her home after Elmyra had hesitantly welcomed him in. The young Turk was already a dangerous man, feared by so many people in the city, but he still approached her with care and politeness.

"We want you to return Aerith to us."

"Pardon?" Elmyra asked, her lips pursed. "You want to take Aerith to Shinra?"

"We've been searching for her for a long time."

"No!" Aerith shouted, tightly hugging her mother's leg. "Never!"

Tseng looked down at her. "Aerith, you're a very special child," he said in a gentle tone. "You are of special blood. Your real mother was an Ancient."

"The Ancients?" Elmyra raised a brow.

"The Ancients will lead us to a land of supreme happiness," he explained. "Aerith will be able to bring happiness to all those in the Slums. That is why the Shinra would like her cooperation."

The girl shook her head wildly. "He's wrong! I'm not an Ancient! I'm not!"

"But Aerith, surely you hear voices when you're all alone?"

"No, I don't!"

"Mr. Tseng," Elmyra interrupted, "I think it's clear to the both of us that the last thing Aerith wants is to get involved with Shinra. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Without speaking another word, he nodded and backed himself towards the door, never to return again. But he never stopped watching her, even during the Avalanche Insurgency when she was a low priority for Shinra. Protecting the _subject_ , as Veld had often called it, was still an important part of surveillance duty.

Tseng was brought back to the present when he saw Aerith carried away by Hojo's assistants. With a shuddering breath, he turned and saw a beast inside one of the test pods, its back turned to him. The red-furred beast possessed the anatomy of a large feline, with battle scars all over its body, and golden braces worn on its legs. Its most wonderful feature was the flame on the tip of its long tail, which illuminated its surroundings inside the test pod. Tseng was aware that it was a critically endangered species, which had the ability to speak and communicate intelligently with humans.

Across the mammal, there was a larger sealed containment tank, which carried the final remains of an extraterrestrial life-form. Tseng shuddered at the sight of Jenova, heaven's dark harbinger, the soul and spirit of countless of superhuman hybrids and monsters. Submerged in a thick red fluid, the naked, humanoid female figure had open sores and torn limbs on her pink headless body, with loose pieces of her tissue-like skin floating around it.

"Jenova..." Tseng murmured, his eyes frozen with terror.


	7. Nibel Flashbacks

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/11, 19:05—19:30**

He returned to his office with a sick feeling in his stomach. Flashes of Jenova terrorized his mind as he thought about her role in genetics engineering research and experiments. Hojo was the mastermind behind the inhumane experiments of Jenova's cells, used to create powerful monsters and turn humans into super-soldiers. Those treated with her cells proved to be powerful warriors, which led to them becoming members of Shinra's elite fighting force, SOLDIER.

Five years had passed since the remains of Jenova were shipped from Nibelheim to Midgar, and sealed in Hojo's lab in the Shinra Building. The relocation occurred after a certain SOLDIER discovered his 'true' Jenova origins and betrayed the company. That SOLDIER, named Sephiroth, was created by Hojo to be the perfect monster... but until that day, he had no knowledge of the experiments that created him. Believing himself to be the last Cetra, and blaming humans for bringing his people to extinction, Sephiroth turned to sheer madness and burned the entire town of Nibelheim to the ground. After wounding fellow SOLDIER Zack Fair and other troops who tried to stop him, Sephiroth captured Jenova from her chamber in the Nibel Reactor. He was never seen again after mysteriously falling to his death into the Nibel Reactor's Mako reservoir.

The next morning, Tseng flew to Nibelheim to clean up and search for survivors. When he arrived at the Nibel Reactor, the entrance was crowded with members from Shinra's Research and Development Division under the command of Hojo. Looking around the area, Tseng spotted an unconscious Zack and a blond-haired infantryman, carried away on stretchers by lab assistants. He didn't know the name of the infantryman at the time, referring to him as the _blond trooper_.

"Excuse me..." he remembered saying to one of the scientists. "What... what's going on?"

"Oh, Mr. Tseng? Professor Hojo is looking for test subjects for his new experiment. He's thinking of calling it... the Jenova Reunion Theory."

"...Jenova Reunion Theory?" Tseng raised a brow. "What is it?"

"Yes." The scientist pointed ahead to Zack and the blond trooper. "See those soldiers that just left? Hojo's especially interested in these guys."

"What's this experiment about?"

"Can't say in detail, but it's got something to do with Jenova cells... specifically, Sephiroth's genes."

"Where's Hojo?" Tseng asked.

"In the containment room."

It was a small laboratory leading to Jenova's chamber. Tseng remembered taking a breath before entering the room, believing that Zack had been taken to the same place. The first thing he saw was the back of Hojo, kneeling down on the floor with four of his assistants standing over him. As Tseng walked closer, he saw Hojo examining the stretchered Zack. The sight of a young SOLDIER, bloodied and incapacitated, caused the Turk to freeze in terror.

"This one..." Hojo spoke to his assistant. "Take him down to the Shinra Mansion's basement."

"Yes sir."

As Zack was carried away, Tseng got a close look of him for the last time. He walked over to the overjoyed mad scientist, who spread his arms in celebration.

"Sephiroth... you have really done it this time!" Hojo cackled as he twirled around and noticed Tseng. "Oh, it's you. Is Mr. Veld doing well?"

"...Yes sir."

"I see," he replied, turning away with a sneer. "And how is the disposal of the town doing?"

"We have already begun the operations, but..." Tseng paused as the blond trooper was carried towards them. "Sir, is there a need to go this far?"

"Ha, you're still so young. Your opinion and such means nothing to me! Hurry up with the disposal," Hojo demanded. "Hmm... just a sec." He stepped away from Tseng and took a glimpse at the bloodied teenager. "This guy finished Sephiroth. Interesting. It really is interesting! He'll make a fine test subject!"

Tseng sighed defeatedly and walked away. As a young subordinate, there was nothing he could have done to stop the man.

Four years later, Zack escaped Shinra Mansion. Taking the blond trooper with him, he traveled across the Western Continent in hopes of returning to Midgar. Despite the Turks' efforts to save him, he and the trooper were eventually tracked down by the Shinra Army. Zack's body was later recovered in the Midgar Wastelands, but the other fugitive, _Cloud Strife_ , was nowhere to be found. Tseng couldn't wrap his head around how Cloud survived. It confused him even more to see him working for Avalanche, fully clad in SOLDIER gear.

Tseng cursed to himself silently as he flipped through the records of the infamous Nibelheim Incident. There was a photo of Sephiroth on one page, and the fugitives Zack and Cloud on another. Beside the book, there were two unfinished bowls of soup and rice; it was his supper but he couldn't consume even half of it. It had been a long day... the day Sector 7 was destroyed, and a day that was far from over.

After all that recollection, he was brought back to the present when his PHS buzzed.

"Tseng speaking..."

" _Hello sir, we have an emergency,_ " a female voice spoke.

"What is it?"

" _We have unidentified people on Floor 65._ "

His eyes narrowed. "How many? And what do they look like?"

" _Two men and a woman..._ " There was a slight pause. " _The woman has black hair and wears white. One of the men is super tall and muscular and has dark skin. And the other man has light skin and spiky blond hair..._ "

Tseng froze. "Is the blond man carrying a sword?"

The reporter paused again, and then replied, " _It appears so._ "

"No way..." he murmured, his voice faltering. "It's Avalanche."

" _Wh-what?!_ _What are they doing here!?_ "

"Don't worry," Tseng said calmly. "I will send my team to investigate right way. In the meantime, please alert everyone that we have intruders in the bulding."

" _Y-yes sir..._ "

"Keep me updated."

" _Yes sir... t-thank you very much._ "

As soon as the call ended, Tseng made his way down the hallway, towards the surveillance room. He called Rude as he ran, wondering how Avalanche had snuck into the building's top floors. Even worse, he wondered how they were still alive. Did they not get crushed by the Sector 7 Plate?

" _...Sir?_ "

Tseng could hear a mix of heavy breathing and music on the other end. "Rude, where are you now?"

" _Gym._ "

"We have an emergency," he reported, his eyes scanning the surveillance cameras. "Avalanche has been sighted on Floor 65."

" _Huh._ "

"That's right. Cloud and the others are in the building. We need to track them down."

" _...How did they get past fifty-nine?_ " Rude asked after a short pause.

"No clue."

" _Does the President know?_ "

"He has a meeting right now with the..." Tseng paused as he spotted Barret, "Executives. They'll be notified by an announcement. Head to sixty-five immediately."


	8. The Manhunt

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/11, 20:00—23:55**

Tseng clenched his fist angrily as he looked around the hallway. It was this very floor where Avalanche was last sighted... and yet, there was no one here besides himself and Rude. "Impressive that they managed to get this far," he said. "Just goes to show how worthless our security team really is..."

"Someone must have given them keycards," Rude added.

Tseng glanced at his surveillance watch, a handy little device that scanned for life signs. He took a peek inside Reeve's office, and shook his head. "No one here."

"They must be on the next floor."

With a sigh, he walked into the next room. It was the conference room used for urban planning, featuring a scale replica of Midgar. The model clearly represented the city's round pizza shape, divided equally into eight sectors, with the Shinra Building in the center. Tseng took a step forward, observing the replica for a moment before looking at his surveillance watch. Reading no life signs, he turned back and faced Rude. "How is Reno, by the way?"

"A few fractured ribs..." Rude replied. "Nothing too serious."

Tseng was relieved for only a second as he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. Immediately, he knew who was calling. "What is it?"

" _Sir!_ " the female reporter called out. " _Avalanche has invaded Hojo's lab on Floor 68!_ "

"...What did they do?"

" _Um, some of the test pods..._ _are broken, and the specimens that were inside have escaped. They're all scattered around the area... dead._ "

"Damn! We'll be there right away. Anything else?"

Tseng and Rude could hear her speaking to someone on the other end, their voices muffled. " _I'm sorry,_ " the woman spoke again, " _I was speaking to a lab assistant who saw everything. Anyway, he had to surrender his keycard to Avalanche, but it appears that they've headed downstairs. And to make matters worse, one of the specimens, Red XIII, attacked Hojo during the mess and is now cooperating with Avalanche._ "

Rude couldn't help but quietly snicker, knowing that Hojo deserved it. Tseng, on the other hand, remained serious. "We'll do everything we possibly can to track them down before they cause further damage."

" _Yes sir, thank you!_ "

Putting away his PHS, he turned to his subordinate and nodded. "Go search sixty-six. I'll take sixty-seven."

"Yes sir."

* * *

A high-pitched scream was the first thing he heard on Floor 67... and down the hallway, he spotted a small team of security officers, working together to take down the female fist-fighter. Tseng squinted at first... and then gasped as he noticed a second woman, already tackled to the floor... and handcuffed. It was Aerith!

"Ugh! Let me go!" Tifa yelled. She was outnumbered six-to-one but still standing, doing everything she could to break free.

"Hey," Tseng called out, approaching the group with a puzzled look. "Uh... good job. Take, uh, Aerith, I mean, her, to the prison cell, immediately." There was no doubt that he was _very_ confused to see her again... and he wondered if Avalanche had come here just to rescue her. Shaking his head at the thought, he turned his attention to Tifa. "And this brat... the President would like to see her. Do you know where the others went?"

"No sir."

"Where did Cloud and the other guy go?" he asked the woman.

"I'm not going to tell you, asshole," she spat, causing the guards to tighten their hold.

Unhappy with her response, Tseng stepped forward and pounded her stomach with a knee. Tifa growled, and he kneed her again and again, five times more before taking out his pistol. "Where... did... they... go?"

"The sixty-sixth floor elevator!" Aerith shouted, her voice fading as she was taken away. "P-please, don't hit her anymore...!"

"The elevator?"

"Yes... yes! Floor 66!" Tifa finally surrendered. "We were... supposed... to meet there..."

Tseng lowered his pistol and turned to the guards. "Take her to the President. I'm going downstairs."

"Yes sir."

"Rude," he reported. "Cloud and Barret are on your floor."

* * *

The baldhead wasted no time getting to the elevator, waving at every guard he passed to follow him. "This way!"

He spotted the two terrorists at the far end of the elevator hall, scrambling inside the door with Hojo's specimen. The door closed at the last second, but Rude lunged to the side wall and slapped the call button. He cleared his throat and entered.

"H-hey! What is it?" Cloud asked with a flinch.

"Would you press up, please?" Rude asked.

"Turks? Must be a trap..."

"Damn you!" Barret cursed, pointing his weapon at the Turk.

Before he could shoot, however, Tseng walked in with his own weapon pointed at the terrorist's head. "This must have been a real thrill for you," he said as the crowd of security guards formed behind him. He looked down at Red XIII, recognizing the feline creature he saw earlier in the evening. "Did you enjoy it?"

"Ggh..."

Tseng kept his pistol raised as Rude slipped a pair of handcuffs on Cloud's wrists. "The President would like to see you."

"The President?!" Barret spat. "Show me his face, I'll fuck it— _OOF_!"

He jumped back against the wall, screaming as a bullet was fired at his free hand. "More blood on your hands now," Tseng said, shaking his head as the gunman curled his fingers in agony. "If you value your life... and your friend's life, you'll come quietly."

Surprisingly, he didn't put up much resistance after that. "Son of a bitch!" he snarled as Rude cuffed his injured right hand to his oversized gatling gun, which protruded from his left elbow. "I'll spit in his face instead...!"

"I wonder what the President wishes to speak about?" Red XIII asked.

His question was left unanswered as the elevator door closed. It was an awkward ride to the top... between two Turks and two terrorists, and an innocent furry animal who chose to tag along.

* * *

President Shinra waited comfortably in his throne, smiling wryly as the prisoners approached him. "There, right there in front of my desk."

Tseng and Rude took a step back after lining them up, placing Cloud in the center. Barret was to his left and Tifa to his right, while Red XIII stayed close behind with the Turks.

"Where's Aerith!?" Cloud demanded.

"In a safe place," the President said with a sneer. He got up and walked along the side of his desk. "She's the last surviving Ancient... don't you know? They called themselves the Cetra, and lived thousands of years ago. Now they're just a forgotten page in history."

"Cetra," the red-furred beast murmured in surprise. "That girl is a survivor of the Cetra?"

President Shinra nodded in response, circling around his desk towards Barret. "Cetra, or the Ancients, will show us the way to the 'Promised Land'. I'm expecting a lot out of her."

"The Promised Land?" Red XIII queried. "Isn't that just a legend?"

"Even so, it's far too appealing not to pursue," he admitted, his grin widening. "It's been said the Promised Land is very fertile. And if the land is fertile..."

"Then there's gotta be Mako!" Barret shouted.

"Exactly," the President replied excitedly. "That is why our money-sucking Mako Reactors are a necessity." With a satisfied sigh, he licked his lips and faced the ceiling. "The abundant Mako will just flow out on its own. That is where Neo-Midgar will be built. Shinra's new glory..."

"Fuck that! Quit dreamin'!"

"Oh really, don't you know?" he mocked. "These days, all it takes for your dreams to come true is money and power..."

"Shut your goddamn mouth! That'll never happen!"

The President straightened his suit and looked at his watch. "Well, I've wasted enough time. That is all for our meeting. Turks, lock them up."

Rude rushed to the front. "Come on! Outta his way!"

Cloud, Tifa, and Red XIII turned around and followed Tseng. "Hold it! I got a lot to say to you!" Barret yelled at the laughing President. He made an attempt to catch him, but was quickly pushed back by Rude.

* * *

The Turks were outside the jail cells with the prisoners, hidden away in the far corner of Floor 67. The cells weren't the typical types with metal bars—there was a solid door instead, and not much inside besides a bed and toilet. It was walled in on all sides, allowing minimal space to move around.

"We'll leave them to you," Tseng told the security guards. "Only two rooms. Split them up however you'd like."

"Yes sir."

He turned to Avalanche one last time. "If you're lucky, your execution will be quick and painless. It may depend on how the President is feeling tomorrow..."

"Fuckin' mass murderers..." Barret growled. "You'll get yours someday. And goddamn everyone in Shinra! For every person you assholes killed in Sector 7!"

"What about the lives you guys claimed in Sector 1?" Rude asked.

"That..."

"Exactly," Tseng finished. "Shinra is a horrible company run by horrible people. But your hands aren't any cleaner than ours. Come on, Rude."

They didn't wait for a reply before walking down the hall, leaving Avalanche behind in their cells.

* * *

After an absolutely chaotic day that ended with Avalanche imprisoned, President Shinra couldn't be more relieved knowing that all war was over. With Aerith back in Shinra's hands, he could now proceed to his long-awaited plan and find the legendary Promised Land. The President envisioned to build a new version of Midgar, fulfilling his lifelong dream of Shinra's rise to a whole new level of control over the world.

It was 11:50 PM. Tseng was in his pajamas, ready to spend the night in his private quarters. But he was also holding his PHS, and groaning in frustration as Heidegger's name came up on the screen. He took a deep breath before answering the call. "Yes?"

" _The President is wondering..._ " Heidegger began, " _How did Avalanche know about our plans to destroy Sector 7?_ "

"No clue."

" _Someone must have told them._ "

"Perhaps."

" _Well, the culprit, we believe... is Don Corneo of the Sector 6 Slums,_ " Heidegger said. " _That... bastard... is one of our trusted informants who gave away top secret information to the enemy. Witnesses from Wall Market confirm our suspicions._ "

Tseng didn't like where this was going. "I see..."

" _Corneo... he's going to get what he deserves._ _Before he has any chance to flee the city... it's important that we capture him. Immediately. So I'm sending you to Sector 6... right now, to find him and arrest his ass._ "

"..."

" _Gya haa haa!_ " Heidegger barked his signature laugh. " _You've done well today. Now go. Do this for the President._ "

"Yes sir."

" _Goodnight. Gya haa haa!_ "

Tseng wasn't about to do this alone. Without shutting off his phone, he called his subordinate immediately. "Uh, Rude? Our day's not finished just yet..."


	9. Sephiroth

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/12, 0:45—1:30**

Don Corneo was a perverted man who lived in his mansion in Wall Market, the underworld of the Sector 6 Slums. Run by Corneo himself, the entertainment quarter was famous for its red-light district atmosphere, filled with thieves and criminals looking for 'intriguing' ways to pass the lonely nights. Little was known about the mansion, but it was believed that those who entered were never seen again.

After landing the helicopter, Tseng and Rude made their way towards the grand building, located at the northernmost part of Wall Market. They spotted a pair of bouncers in front of a folding steel gate, blocking the only entry to the mansion. The bouncers raised their weapons at the approaching visitors, fully prepared to protect the Don's property.

"Gentlemen," greeted one of the bouncers. He frowned as he noticed the Turk uniform, and lowered his weapon. "Uh... you're Shinra..."

"We're looking for Don Corneo," Tseng spoke urgently. "Is he inside?"

"No, no. He's not inside."

Rude cracked his knuckles. "Let us in. _Now_."

"This is an emergency," Tseng demanded.

"He's not inside!" the other bouncer cried out. "We swear!"

"Then where is he and what is he doing at one in the morning?"

"We don't know! He said nothin' to us."

"Besides, even if he _was_ inside, we can't let any men in! He's not into them! That's the policy..."

The Turks looked at each other suspiciously... before Rude lunged forward and shoved one of the men against the gate. The other man flinched in response, and squealed as he found himself at gunpoint, courtesy of Tseng. "Where... is... Corneo?" Rude asked coldly.

"Okay, okay! I'll tell you where he is! He's already fled the city! We don't know where exactly! Please, please don't kill me! To prove it to you, we'll let you inside!"

"Why did he leave?"

"He didn't say! But I heard from the others that he wasn't happy about the intruders..."

"...Intruders?"

"I don't know!"

After a dramatic pause, Tseng lowered his pistol. "Really, that's all we need to know, but... Rude, we're going inside."

When the gate opened, Rude threw the weakling to the ground and followed Tseng. Another bouncer stood at the door, but after witnessing what had happened to his buddies, he stepped aside immediately. Tseng swung the massive door open and walked in.

"Anyone inside?" he yelled, observing the Wutai-style decor around him. The lobby had its floors and stairs carpeted with a thick red wool, its walls furnished with ancient paintings of the five Gods, Leviathan, and Da-Chao. Lanterns hung along the supporting pillars, while the interior doors were labeled with letters of the Wutai language. Tseng wasn't expecting such a magnificent sight... but the longer he looked around, the more he grew suspicious. He followed Rude to the second floor wondering where everyone else was. "No one's here," he said. "We'll have to start checking every—"

A door crashed open, revealing a slim man in his pajamas. "Eek! Turks! Don't kill me!"

"Corneo's not here?"

He shook his head. "Um... no sir, he's out of town. He wasn't happy about something... I don't know what happened, but he wasn't happy. We had a dude come in earlier and crash the party, but... I don't know, man. A bunch of our guys left with him, and now I'm here all alone."

"Show us his room," Rude demanded.

"But sir, if we do..."

"It's an emergency," Tseng urged, raising his pistol once again. "Or we'll drop you right now."

"...Okay, fine," he whined, pointing ahead to a large door. "Over there. Should be open."

Tseng nearly gagged when he walked in, finding Corneo's odor to be _extremely_ unpleasant. He looked for a light switch while his subordinate turned on the small flashlight on his uniform. As Tseng looked around the room, Rude walked up to a folding screen and kicked it down, revealing the Don's king-sized bed.

"Chief," he called out, examining the walls of the bedroom. "All these photos on the wall... Corneo and his women... young and old. They're... his guests." The baldhead had heard a lot of rumors about Corneo's perverted lifestyle, and the photos confirmed it. "Do you think Avalanche..." Rude paused as Tseng entered the bedroom.

"I think I found something myself," he said, stopping briefly to look at the photos. "On his computer."

"Hmm..."

Tseng led his subordinate to the previous room, pointing to the computer on his desk. High-quality photos of Corneo's women were shown on the screen, arranged in date order. "Pay dirt," he said, scrolling to the bottom and clicking on the last photo.

"What is this..."

It was a photo, taken at 3:32 PM on December 11, of three glamorous women lined up in front of the camera. The woman in the middle slightly bigger than her two companions, whom the Turks were able to identify immediately.

"Holy... shit..." Tseng recognized the brunette woman in the red dress. "That's Aerith."

"And Tifa..."

"Is Corneo working for Avalanche?" he asked, his eyes narrowing at the third woman. Rude shrugged and kept his eyes on Tifa. "The one in the middle," Tseng continued, "It's... it's Cloud..."

"Damn," Rude replied, his attention finally averted. Cloud's makeup was done to perfection, with well-coordinated pigtails and a purple one-piece over his muscular physique.

"No way they came here to get help," Tseng said. "These girls were the intruders. They came here to squeeze information out of Corneo."

"And that's why Corneo fled the city," Rude added. "He's guilty."

Tseng nodded as he plugged in a thumb drive. The computer beeped as the photo was successfully saved to the device. "With Corneo gone, there's no point to continue this mission. Let's head back."

Rude wiped his sunglasses with a cloth. "Yeah..."

Satisfied with what they'd seen, the Turks slipped out of Corneo's room. It was 1:20 AM.

_Bzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzt!_

"Tch..." Rude groaned as his supervisor's phone buzzed again. He stopped at the top of the stairs.

" _Help, Tseng! PLEASE HELP!_ "

Tseng knew that voice. "Palmer?"

" _Y-yes... it's me! Palmer! The Shinra Building's under attack! By-by-by... S-Se-Seph..._ "

"Who!?" he stammered, unable to clear hear the man's voice. There was background noise on the other end—people were screaming over the blaring alarms.

" _He's... he's killing everyone on sight!_ " Palmer yelled. " _We're tryna hide from him... in the sixty-ninth floor washroom! Please, please for Gaia's sake save us! W-we... we don't know how to stop him!_ "

Tseng gasped as he followed Rude down the stairs. Murders in the Shinra Building? He quickly suspected Avalanche... but there was no way any of them could have escaped so easily. "Oh no... where is he now?"

" _I don't know!_ " Palmer replied, his voice muffled with sobs. " _I don't know if he's still on sixty-nine!_ "

"Whoever the killer is, he must be stopped immediately!" Tseng was now sprinting back to the helicopter. "Stay hidden. We'll be there as soon as possible!"

The line went silent and he looked at his phone, realizing that Palmer had hung up on him. The man's cries echoed through his brain and he wondered if the other Executives were aware of what was happening. He raised his phone to call Heidegger, only to put it down as he noticed that Rude was far ahead of him.

A minute later, Tseng found himself buckled up in the passenger's seat. Just as Rude started the engine, another voice came over the radio.

" _Tseng! Rude! It's Reeve. Return to the Shinra Building. Sephiroth is on a rampage._ "

" **SEPHIROTH!?** "

" _Yes, Sephiroth!_ " Reeve exclaimed. " _I don't know where he is at the moment, but he was last seen on Floor 69. SOLDIERs have been dispatched and ordered to hunt him down._ "

"B-but... Reeve! How is he...?" Tseng was so horrified he couldn't speak clearly. He stared at Rude in shock as the helicopter took off towards the Shinra Building. Sephiroth was alive.


	10. Heaven's Dark Harbinger

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/12, 1:45—2:10**

Back in headquarters, the Turks found themselves all alone in the Presidential Office. How was the President's safety not a top priority? They had expected to see a whole army of security officers, protecting the most important man in the world... but what they saw instead was a trail of blood, splattered along the main hallway.

"Looks like it leads to his desk," Tseng said as he examined the stained carpet. "Keep your guard up."

Rude nodded cautiously and ran ahead. Tseng followed after taking a few seconds to reload his pistol. The blood trail only deepened as he approached the President's desk, quickly forming into huge puddles. He stopped next to Rude and stared ahead with immense terror.

The President was slouched over on his desk; his body had been pierced through the back by Sephiroth's iconic sword, and pinned to the table like a skewered animal. Tseng and Rude couldn't believe it. President Shinra was dead.

"We were too late..." Tseng muttered, his hands shaking slightly. With a lasting moan, he took a small step forward, unable to take his eyes from the man's corpse.

Rude also stepped forward, but took a moment to look around his surroundings. There was blood everywhere—on the table, the wall, even the lights above. It was still dripping onto the floor, the only sign of movement from the President's lifeless form. Just as the Turks turned to face each other, a shrill cry rang out from the right side, cutting the stunned silence in the room.

"Uh!"

They spun sharply towards the voice and spotted Palmer, his head poking out of a wooden pillar.

"Palmer!" Tseng called out as the senior stumbled towards them. "Are you okay?"

"S-Sephiroth came... he really came!" he whimpered. "I... I saw him with my own eyes! Oh, the President! He's dead!"

"Where did Sephiroth go?"

"He... uh, I don't know! I think he's gone! He was just here five minutes ago. I heard him say something about not letting us have... um, the Promised Land."

"It was just you and the President here?"

"Uh, yeah!" Palmer confirmed. "I ran up here to hide... and uh, warn the President about him and... that's when he came! He... he was too quick!"

Tseng let out a worried breath. "Rude, can you go down to see what's going on? I'm going to call Reeve."

Rude nodded. "Yes sir."

As he ran off, Tseng turned to Palmer. "Can you inform Rufus about what happened?"

"Rufus? The Vice President? Isn't he in Junon?"

"Yes, give him a call. Tell him that his old man got slaughtered by Sephiroth... and also what was said about the Promised Land."

"Uh, okay..."

* * *

Following the blood trail, Rude rushed down the flight of stairs to Floor 69, the executive floor. A foul stench came to him as he passed through a set of security screens, which led him to the main hall. Turning to the nearest room, Rude froze as he spotted three or four bodies over and under the lunch table, crumpled on top of one another like a meat sandwich. With a grimace, he turned around and scurried down the hall.

The dreadful smell intensified as he reached the concourse. He counted seven more bodies, littered around the area with severed limbs and bones blocking his path to the other side. Watching his step, he tiptoed along the coated floor and took an alternative path, eventually taking him to the main stairwell. By the time he'd reached Floor 68, the total count of dead employees had reached over twenty.

* * *

"Very good, I'll see you there. Thank you, Reeve."

Tseng put away his phone, and with a worried sigh, he walked over to Palmer. They were still in the Presidential Office, still inches away from the bloody carcass.

"Uh... the Vice President is already on the way," Palmer muttered. "He would also like to speak with you..."

"Understood..." Tseng nodded in response, and raised his phone to call Rufus. "Reeve is monitoring the situation from forty-nine. I'm going to head there."

"Umm... should I... should I come along?"

"You should be safe here. It is highly unlikely that Sephiroth will return to this floor, after accomplishing what he came to do. But please, you should hide until we have definitively concluded that it is safe to evacuate."

Just as he turned to head out, the Vice President's voice came over the phone. " _Tseng._ "

"Sir."

" _Are you and Palmer still in my office?_ "

"Yes sir. I was just about to head out and meet with Reeve. He is mobilizing the troops as we speak."

" _I see. I will arrive in about an hour._ "

"Sir..." Tseng protested, a hint of worry in his voice, "I'm not sure if now would be the best time to come to the building... Sephiroth—"

 _"Do not worry about me,_ " Rufus cut him off. " _I'm not a defenseless old fool like my father._ "

"Of course... you're not. I understand."

" _It's been a long day for you,_ " he went on. " _Get some rest. I have arranged an executive meeting for later this morning... and would like all the Turks present._ "

"Yes sir."

" _I'll see you soon._ "

Tseng looked back at Palmer, gave a quick nod, and walked out.

* * *

Rude was in the biological laboratory on Floor 68. After passing through dozens of dead employees, he was surprised to see a _moving_ body for once, writhing in a spill of blood. He knelt down in front of the young lab assistant and faced his agonized eyes. "You okay?"

The man's back had been severely slashed. "Nnggghhh..."

"Hold on," he whispered, pulling out his phone to alert Shinra Medical Care. He took a step back and leaned on the wall as he watched the man, hoping that someone would answer. Unfortunately, health care was extremely scarce in the aftermath of Sector 7's destruction.

A weird croaking noise came from somewhere across the laboratory. Rude narrowed his eyes and looked ahead, finding a small canine-like creature roaming by a shattered test pod. The sharp-toothed creature gave out a ferocious howl before charging at the Turk.

Rude put aside his PHS and readied himself. "Hojo's specimen? Bring it on."

He jumped into battle and held his arm out, allowing the specimen to bite it. The beast was far from powerful, he determined, as its teeth were unable to cut through his sleeve. Rude wasted no time kicking it aside and pounding its skull with lefts and rights. After four punches, the weakened creature fell to the floor, ending the short conflict.

The croaking noise persisted, however, and Rude found three more beasts across the room. He lunged towards them, decimating the biggest one with a jumping fist. The smaller beasts growled in response and darted forward, striking the Turk with their claws. Rude stepped away for a moment, clenching his right fist... and then hurled a massive ball of _Fire_ magic at them. He smiled as the flames engulfed the beasts, turning them into ashes in seconds.

He looked around the room, wondering if there were more around. Turning towards the broken pod, he squinted at a label and found that Hojo had named this species 'Zenene'. With so much broken glass on the floor, Rude realized that more specimens had escaped and were now roaming around in the building.

He jogged back to the wounded lab assistant, only to find another Zenene beside him, its mouth filled with blood. Rude looked at the unusually calm creature... and gasped as he realized that the man had turned completely limp. With a frustrated groan, the baldhead hurled another fireball at the beast before running towards the transport elevator. Unable to save the man's life, he pulled out his PHS and called Tseng.

" _Rude?_ "

"Chief, there are dead bodies everywhere," he reported. "Even Hojo's specimens have escaped. Is there... any way to alert Shinra Medical about this, or are we still focusing on evac?"

" _The evac is still in process,_ " Tseng answered, " _But Reeve said that Sephiroth was last seen outside of headquarters. Many of our employees are still unaware of what's been happening... including Heidegger, I assume... and it seems our SOLDIERs haven't been able to find anything. Where are you now?_ "

Rude stepped out of the elevator and answered, "Sixty-seven. If Sephiroth is outside, shouldn't we head down and evacuate the civilians?"

There was a long pause on the other end. " _Dammit..._ " Tseng said with a stressful sigh. " _As much as it pains me to say this... we'll call it a day._ _The President's dead, our employees are dead, and... we_ _don't know where Sephiroth is, how he got here or what his mission is. Get some rest, and we'll start fresh tomorrow._ "

"I'm not sure it would be so wise to call it a day..." Rude paused as he found another dead body, hanging over some boxes. "But I do understand where you're coming from... Turks need sleep, too..."

" _I was on the phone with the VP earlier,_ " Tseng replied. " _He's coming to Midgar and would like to speak with us tomorrow morning... at eleven. That would be nine hours from now._ "

"Rufus, sir?" Rude raised a brow. "Hmm... so—"

" _With his father dead, he has declared himself the new President,_ " Tseng finished. " _Goodnight, Rude._ "

When the call ended, Rude winced at another dreadful smell coming from his left, and he turned to notice something precariously strange. The sealed containment tank had disappeared and was replaced with a pool of oozing pink. Rude frowned as he realized what Sephiroth had come here for. The legendary SOLDIER had returned with a vengeance, coming not only for the President's life, but to reclaim Heaven's Dark Harbinger... his mother, Jenova.


	11. Rufus, President of Shinra

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/12, 10:45—11:30**

Rude moaned softly and tried to roll away from the tingling sensation on his ear. Whatever it was, it wasn't letting him sleep. When it tickled him again, he buried his head in his pillow.

"Hehe."

His eyes shot open as soon as he heard the giggle. There was someone in his room.

"Hey there, sleepy head," Reno greeted, smiling down at him. "I'm sure you're having the sweetest dream of your life, but it's quarter to eleven and our meeting with Rufus is in fifteen minutes. So get your ass up and over to the conference hall."

Rude knew he'd forgotten something before going to bed—setting an alarm. Thankfully, he'd also forgotten to lock the door, allowing the redhead to come in and wake him up.

"I'll go on ahead," Reno said as he grabbed his crutches. Rude noted the bandages over his forehead. "Should be an interesting meeting."

He stumbled onto the floor and reached for one of his uniforms in the closet. The suit was all he needed to put on as he had apparently slept in his work clothes. After sliding in his sunglasses, he bolted straight for the bathroom. No morning shower, no morning coffee... nothing but a quick brush.

Five minutes later, Rude was already on Floor 66, racing for the conference room. When he stepped inside, he was relieved to see Rufus' chair vacant at the end of the table. The spacious, rectangular room was filled with Shinra Executives, who sat glumly in their chairs, ignoring the arriving Turk. It was Heidegger and Palmer on the left side of the table, and Reeve Tuesti on the right. Scarlet, the Head of Advanced Weaponry, took the seat closest to Rufus', which was previously dedicated to his father. Tseng sat between Heidegger and Reno, leaving two vacant seats on the other side.

"Yo, Rude!" Reno called out, raising his voice over his many superiors. "You made it in time..."

"Hmph..." Rude groaned as he took the seat across him and beside Reeve.

"Good morning, Rude," Tseng greeted quietly. Rude nodded back as he mentally reminded himself to keep a straight posture. As relieved as he was to have arrived before Rufus, he did not want anyone to notice his tired appearance. At least his crusty eyes were covered by his sunglasses.

"Any second now..." Reno whispered, ducking his head slightly. He had been gazing patiently upon the front door, waiting for it to slide open. Everyone was here except for Rufus and Hojo. Reno saw this meeting as an opportunity to see how things stood between the Turks and Shinra Executives, under a new leader who was obviously younger than the former President.

At that same minute, the front door slid open to allow entrance of the young man, a stern look on his face as he walked by his underlings. Rufus Shinra was a thirty-year-old man of average height and a slim, yet toned build, having short golden hair that was combed to both sides. He wore a white business suit that matched over a black shirt, with a double-barreled shotgun slotted firmly on the right pocket. There was silence in the room as he walked to his reserved seat.

"Morning, Turks and Shinra Executives," he spoke in a clear voice. Quiet murmurs greeted him as his blue eyes scanned around the table. "I am Rufus Shinra, former Vice President of the Shinra Company. As you know from the tragedy that befell earlier, former SOLDIER Sephiroth returned seeking for the Promised Land and killed over two hundred people in this building. Including... my own father."

Rufus looked down at the table, exhaling quietly as everyone took a moment of silence to reflect on the tragedy. After the short pause, he continued, "After learning of his death, I did not waste any time to fly here from Junon, to officially and proudly declare myself as the new President Shinra." He scanned his eyes around the rectangular room. "Although our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected... there are many things that we must discuss moving forward. Sephiroth, the Promised Land, Avalanche... even Hojo, who left a letter of resignation in my new office."

After a day where so much had happened, this was news to everyone including the Turks: Hojo resigned, after three decades of service as the Head of Shinra Science. Although he was a self-centered individual who didn't care about Shinra, his sudden decision to step down was still surprising. Perhaps he was distraught about his disastrous Ancients experiment, which led to Red XIII escaping from captivity.

"First things first, about my father..." Rufus cleared his throat. "Let it be known that I never liked him. He was very bad at controlling the world. His strategies seemed to have worked on the outside... but with lies and broken promises comes terrorism. And because of it, our trust with the civilians has minimized significantly."

While most people looked down with gloomy faces, Reno was listening carefully and eagerly waiting for his next words. Rufus then continued, "Work at Shinra, get your pay; if terrorists attack, the Shinra Army will help... the words of my father. Of course, I do things differently. The world will be controlled with fear. A little fear will manipulate the minds of the common people. There's no need to waste money on them."

Rufus paused as he picked up a bottle of water and drank from it. "That said, I'm disgusted about happened in Sector 7. What a fool my father was. Destroying an entire Sector, just to kill a small group of people. He lied and blamed the attack on Avalanche. But that made us look weak. How do you expect people to trust Shinra if we cannot stop our enemies from these attacks?"

"He thought the collateral damage was a worthy sacrifice," Heidegger said.

"And you agreed with him."

"I, well... not exactly, but—"

"It had to be done," Scarlet interrupted with a shrug. "Avalanche is as big a threat as Sephiroth. We did what we could to reduce their numbers, but they're still out there. If we turn our attention too quickly towards Sephiroth, Avalanche..." Stopping mid-sentence, Scarlet faltered as she thought about what she'd just said. "Wait! Didn't we arrest three of them last night? Aren't they, like, locked up in prison on Floor 67? Kya haa haa haa! My bad..."

"Gya haa haa!" Heidegger erupted with laughter. "They sure are! We got them good last night."

"They're _not_ ," Rufus spat. Silence filled the room as everyone turned to him. "Come on. They got away." Rude's eyes lit up behind his sunglasses. "No one knows this except Palmer and myself? I... don't know what to say."

"Avalanche escaped?" Reno murmured.

"Sir," Tseng raised his voice. "Rude and I were responsible for their arrest last night. I checked on their prison cells before arriving here and can confirm to everyone that they've escaped. But how were you aware of this before any of us?"

"When I arrived at the Shinra Building..." Rufus' tone was normal again, "Avalanche was already on the helipad. Their leader apparently is a former 1st Class SOLDIER. Name is Cloud... a young blond man who wields a sword. And for whatever reason he too is after Sephiroth... but of course, we can't be allies."

"President..." Reeve chimed in over the bewildered silence. "You said Avalanche was on the helipad... what were they doing up there?"

Rufus scratched his chin. "Good question."

"They, um, seemed interested about the Promised Land when I mentioned it," Palmer added to the confusion. "They followed the trail of bodies up to where the President was murdered... why... why? Wouldn't down have been a better escape route than up?"

Taking note of Palmer's comment, Tseng asked Rufus another question, "Sir, how many of Avalanche did you confront?"

"Not all of them are working for Avalanche..." Rufus answered with a sigh. "There were five in total, one of them a research specimen. Cloud wanted to fight... and as soon as he drew his sword, Dark Nation went after him... threw his life away. As Palmer said, they seemed quite interested about Sephiroth and the Promised Land. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could have done. They have already escaped. Whoever released them is an idiot."

"Hm! Turks." Scarlet suddenly scowled at Tseng and Reno. "Without a doubt, this is your fault! You probably didn't even lock their cells up!"

"The hell?" Rude shrugged. "We left them to the guards. And I have to wonder... what were _you_ up to while Sephiroth was here?"

"Let me guess, sleepin'?" Reno added with a glare.

Even Reeve interjected, only to be immediately cut off, "Isn't it more likely that Sephiroth—"

"Oh! So you're going to put the blame on _me_ now?!" Scarlet snapped as she turned to the President. "Rufus, can you believe these two? This is ridiculous." She then faced the man sitting across from her. "Heidegger! You're the boss of them. What's _with_ these guys!?"

"Gya—"

"Goddammit," Rufus interrupted, his face of plain disgust. "My first meeting as President and I see an argument over something so utterly pointless... hmph. How pathetic..." Rubbing the back of his head, he moved his eyes around everyone, back and forth for about half a minute. "My first day as President and we're approaching a crisis," he started again. "With Sephiroth reborn, we are left with so many unanswered questions. But Shinra knows, we can't let him win—we must stop him..."

He paused again and exhaled sharply. "But a starting point is needed. We have witness reports coming in, and the Army on the lookout... and it seems that Sephiroth has already fled the city."

"Turks," Heidegger called out, sounding serious for once. "We'll need you to gather information on Sephiroth's whereabouts. As for Avalanche..."

"I see them as no threat whatsoever," Rufus cut him off. "They're a small group... with the same goal of stopping Sephiroth. We'll dispose of them only if the situation calls for it." As his last words came out, he noted the bandages over the injured Turk's forehead. "Reno's hurt. I'm allowing a new member to join the Turks, immediately."

"Yo, really?" Reno spoke up excitedly.

"But Rufus, his injury his minor," Heidegger pointed out. "And there's a company policy regarding the—"

"What policy?" Rufus questioned. "My father is dead."

"It's not that," Scarlet tried to explain. "We can't have the same thing happen again, with the Turks—"

"The current situation at hand is of the highest priority," Tseng spoke up. "Recruitment of one Turk should prove helpful at the very least."

"Correct," Rufus agreed, prompting Reno and Rude to nod along. "Tseng, I'm granting you permission to find a suitable candidate for this position, immediately. While Rude can prepare for the investigation..."

"But President," Heidegger called out, "As the Head of Public Security, it is my duty to find a new recruit for the Turks."

"As the Head of Public Security," Rufus corrected him, "You are responsible for mobilizing the Shinra Army around the world." He paused for a second and glanced at Reeve and Scarlet. "We will now discuss the transition process... from where my father last off to where things currently stand on the executive board. Tseng, Reno, and Rude. You're excused."

"Thank you, President," Tseng saluted him as he stood up. Reno and Rude nodded along before following their supervisor, who held the door open for them. Reno, the rookie at using crutches, was the first to leave the conference hall, with Rude right behind. With Rufus now President, the death of his father was the best thing that could have happened to the Turks.


	12. The New Recruit

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/12, 12:00—15:40**

After the meeting, Reno and Rude stopped by Tseng's office to discuss the current situation. So much had happened so quickly... from the moment Sector 7 was destroyed, to Sephiroth's massacre in the Shinra Building. Avalanche had escaped, Hojo had resigned, and Rufus was now President of the Shinra Company.

Just thinking back at the three days made Rude realize how fortunate he was to be alive. He could tell just by looking that Tseng was still a bit distraught over the traumatic events. Reno, on the other hand, was still hurting from his battle with Avalanche... but unlike Tseng, he didn't seem all that bothered. He was overjoyed about Rufus Shinra, as well as the new recruit, whoever that might be.

"Chief. The new Turk. Who's it gonna be?"

Tseng didn't want to answer until he was completely certain, but he was pretty excited himself. "This individual is a recent graduate from the Shinra Military Academy. If I recall correctly, she attained the highest grades and—"

"Wait... _she_?!" Reno blurted out. "My replacement is a _girl_?!"

"Reno... let him continue."

"Temporary replacement, permanent member..." Tseng corrected him. "But yes, the new recruit is female. Emma's younger sister, in fact. Elena is her name."

"Alright, I've heard about her," Reno said, frowning slightly. "She's a total klutz, according to Emma."

"Emma and Elena have a sibling rivalry," Rude noted. "Interesting."

"I'm happy to say that Elena is by far the most qualified person for this position," Tseng added. "She was the only student to have attained the five Elite Emblems. We're expecting a lot out of her."

"Klutz or not, I was honestly hoping for a man," Reno confessed. "Someone who can look up to us and fit in nice and easy."

Rude shook his head at Reno and cleared his throat. "She does martial arts?" he asked Tseng.

"Correct, along with firearms and explosives," Tseng confirmed. "In any case, she must accept the offer... so we can begin training her as soon as possible. As a trainee, she must _not_ be told by anybody about the _secret_. Got it?"

"Yes sir."

"Good." Looking at his watch, Tseng realized that it was already past noon. "We're short on time. You two are dismissed."

* * *

Initially, Reno and Rude had planned to go on their separate ways. Rude hadn't eaten and Reno needed more rest. But Reno didn't want that, and he wasn't going to spend his day off in bed. So after Rude had eaten, Reno decided to help him prepare for his next mission: hunting Sephiroth.

"Hey Rude, I'll be honest with you," he said as they approached the Floor 61 elevator. "I'm kind of glad that Avalanche got away."

Rude raised his brow as he pressed the call button. "How come?"

"Those cowards. It was three versus one," Reno explained in a bitter voice. "If they're still alive, we'll be the ones to take them out. There's no way we can lose with my upgraded weapon."

"Upgraded weapon?"

"I don't have it with me now, but you'll be impressed. So much electric current... so much radiation... I can't wait."

"And if I see them," Rude muttered, "I'll be sure to give them a fair warning."

Reno frowned as the elevator door opened. "Okay, but for real. The hell did we blow up Sector 7 for? This is so fucked up. We did all that for nothing."

"Let's talk about Sector 7 some other time..." Rude sighed, walking through the door. "As for the new Turk, Elena... I feel the same way as you."

"Yeah?" Reno replied, pleased that he wasn't alone on this. He hobbled inside and watched his partner select the destination.

"The new recruit should not be a woman." Rude swiped his ID card and punched the '67' button. "A man would fit in much better with our organization."

"And someone a little closer to our age." Reno nodded in agreement. "Like, how old is she, even? She was still in school earlier this year."

"A few years younger than Emma. Eighteen, maybe?"

"A whole decade younger than me... wow." He shook his head and sighed. "What's that you got, anyway?"

The redhead was referring to a small object Rude had been holding onto. It was a rectangular electronic device with a valve, sensor, and other electronic components. "This handy tool could prove useful for our mission."

"Huh?" Reno wondered as he looked at it dumbly. "What does it do?"

"It can track down anything we want," he answered, handing him the device. "It'll tell you how far or how close we are to whatever we're trying to find."

"...Shinra technology at its finest, huh. But how can we find Sephiroth with this?"

"It isn't obvious to you, yet?" Rude teased as Reno handed it back. Stopping at Floor 66, the elevator door opened and revealed two workmen with bags full of dead bodies. Rude raised a hand at one of the men. "We're going up."

"Up?" he shouted through his protective mask. "Can we still go in?"

"Take the express elevator, not here..." Reno yapped, mashing the close-door button. "This one takes you nowhere near the dumpster."

"Uh, okay..."

As soon as the door closed, Reno and Rude plugged their noses, clearly appalled by the smell that was now trapped with them. Rude tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator made its way to Floor 67, waiting for the door to open.

"We're going to Hojo's lab to take a sample of Jenova."

"Jenova!?" Reno roared as he struggled with his crutches. "This is how we're going to track Sephiroth?"

"Indeed. It's a simple, yet powerful idea. Inject a few drops of Jenova into this device and we're golden. I call it the _Jenova Tracker_."

"Are you sure this will work?"

Rude nodded confidently. His plan to track down Sephiroth could be achieved by using the _Jenova Tracker_ , one of Shinra's newest technologies. It seemed like the perfect solution, as Sephiroth was essentially the human embodiment of Jenova.

Arriving to the lab, Reno froze as he saw what Rude had bumped into earlier: Jenova's empty chamber. All that remained now was metal rubble, and a broken hose with pink liquid leaking out of it. It was the mysterious pink substance that caused Reno to freeze in fear, and for a moment, he was so horrified that he had no clue what he was staring at. _Was it someone's blood? Why is it pink?_

He jumped back as Rude knelt down and collected a sample of the fluid with a pipette. "Shit, shit! What are you doing..." he yelped, his voice faltering slightly. "Oh wait, that's Jenova..."

"Tsk tsk tsk..." Rude shook his head in disappointment. "And I thought I was the one that needed sleep..."

"Holy shit." Reno gulped as Jenova's remains were injected into the _Jenova Tracker_. "You have another one, right? Pass it over."

"We're using two for the hunt." Rude handed the second device to Reno. "One for myself and one for the Chief... since you're not medically cleared to participate in the mission."

"Man, I'm gonna miss out on the fun," Reno whined as he collected a pipette from the table. "I mean, it sucks that Sephiroth's back and all... but if he wasn't here, we'd only have Avalanche to worry about. We don't want our jobs to get boring, y'know?"

Rude smiled as he played with the controls of the _Jenova Tracker_. "Just be thankful you're still getting paid as you heal."

* * *

Elena was a twenty-year-old woman with a petite stature, brown eyes, and a blonde bob that was longer on one side. Her lifetime goal had always been to surpass her sister and she had done whatever she could to achieve it. She even went as far as taking two extra years of school to maximize her grades... but for a long time, she had vowed to never join the Turks as long as her sister was part of the organization. She saw her window of opportunity when the Turks tragically disbanded two months before, and ever since then, she had been waiting desperately to see her dream through.

The call from Tseng was the highlight of her day, though she'd spent most of the morning in her Sector 4 apartment, grieving about Sector 7. Residing on the Upper Plate, she found it extremely difficult to stomach the fact that she could have died yesterday, had Avalanche blown up Sector 4 instead. But after hearing from the Chief, her mood changed like the flick of a switch. She wasted no time heading for the Shinra Building, which was a short drive from her apartment.

She had put on a blue blazer and a pair of black slacks for her first meeting. When she arrived at the lobby, a secretary recognized her name and escorted her to the elevator. Elena wasn't the nervous type despite her moments of clumsiness, yet she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous as the elevator ascended towards her destination. The nervousness did not stem from fear of not getting the job—rather, the fact that she knew she would have a lot to prove once accepted.

Her nerves disappeared instantly when the elevator door opened. She had finally arrived at Floor 63: Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department.

"Elena?" Tseng greeted as he found her outside the security fields. "My name is Tseng. Pleasure to meet you."

She grabbed his hand for a firm shake. "Likewise."

"Welcome to the Turks. Please come this way." He motioned her to follow him to his office. "Please take a seat."

"Thank you."

Tseng smiled as she sat across from him. "So you're the younger sister of Emma?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"She was a highly respectable Turk," he said, noting the resemblance between her and Emma. "But we didn't select you because of her. Your achievements at the SMA, along with your combat skills, are what made you the best candidate for this position."

"T-thank you, sir." Elena wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that. "I worked really hard to get here."

"Every Turk that I've worked with had little experience when they first started, including myself. But it shouldn't take long to get you fully trained, and we'll need you to begin working with us right away. Is that possible?"

"Yes sir!"

Satisfied with her response, Tseng grabbed some papers beside him... only to hear someone knock on the door. Immediately, he suspected it was Rude. "Come in."

His eyes widened as he saw Reno instead... with Rude right behind. "Yo Chief, we've come up with a plan for Seph—huh? And you are...!?"

"I'd like to introduce you two to our newest Turk," Tseng said proudly. "Her name is Elena."

She waved. "Hey..."

"Hello," Rude greeted in a monotonous tone. He shifted his head towards Reno, who returned his glare. Neither of them approached her for a handshake.

"So you're Elena, huh," Reno squinted his eyes at the woman _._ "Nice to meet you, but uh... how old are you?"

"T-twenty..." Elena stuttered, noticing the sunglasses and wondering why they were worn indoors. "And your names are...?"

"This is Reno and Rude," Tseng introduced. "Two very friendly guys, but as you can tell, they're not so good with welcomes."

"I'm surprised Rude even said hello," Reno laughed as he tapped his partner's arm. "Good luck with her, dude."

 _Please get outta here..._ Tseng winked at them and signaled to the door. _What's wrong with these guys?_

"Goodbye... Elena," Rude said, walking away with Reno. The woman flinched as the door was slammed shut behind him.

"Well then," Tseng chuckled. "Welcome to the Turks, Elena."


	13. Workplace Mysteries

**[ v ] - εγλ 0007/12/13**

" _Father! It's official! I've finally joined the Turks!_ "

" _Elena, my dear... I hope you are aware of what you have gotten yourself into. All I can say is good luck. P_ _ay close attention to your surroundings, and always listen to your superiors._ _I trust that you can take care of yourself._ "

" _Of course, Father. But I still don't know what happened to Em. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, but... I don't know. She's been acting weird, too... and she hasn't answered any of my calls. Do you know anything about it?_ "

" _I am sorry, Elena. We cannot talk about this. Especially now that you're a Turk._ "

" _Father... I don't understand. Should I be concerned? For my own well-being..._ "

" _Not at all. Y_ _ou're a curious young woman, always wanting to know more and more, never afraid to ask questions. As a professor, I encourage that kind of attitude. But you would do well to stay out of company politics. Sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong will cost you your life._ "

It was a text conversation between father and daughter. Elena read it over and over again, which only made her more and more confused. She didn't know what to make of it.

* * *

Tseng was in the Presidential Office for a meeting with Rufus, who seemed rather bothered by the woman's portrait on the computer screen. Elena, throughout her teenage years, had her long blonde hair tied into pigtails.

"So this is the new Turk..." Rufus murmured. "Elena..."

"She, uh, doesn't have that hair anymore," Tseng tried to explain. "I know it looks a bit silly. She'll take an updated photo later today."

"Who was her older sister?"

"Emma, sir. The gun specialist. But the two sisters don't have much in common. Elena is skilled in firearms, but her main specialty is martial arts. I'm confident thats he will fit in very well with Reno and Rude."

Rufus paused as he studied her portrait again. "If you feel she's ready, she may accompany you and Rude tomorrow."

"Of course. She is very eager to start working."

"Regardless, please send her my apologies about the rushed start. We'll make sure she gets the proper training she needs as things settle down over the next few days."

"She understands," Tseng assured him. "I helped her move into her quarters earlier. She already feels comfortable living in the Shinra Building."

Satisfied, Rufus closed the portrait and opened another file. "So what do you know of Cloud's relation with Sephiroth?"

"From what I've gathered, Cloud is from Nibelheim," Tseng explained, his eyes narrowing slightly. "He was there to witness the town's destruction, when Sephiroth turned mad and burned it down."

"I see," Rufus said, moving aside a strand of hair. "And shortly after that, he fell into Hojo's clutches."

"Right. To this day, I have no idea what Hojo had done to the survivors of the Nibelheim Incident. I don't believe Scarlet or Heidegger know anything, either."

The President frowned slightly. "They're... an odd bunch. Heidegger, especially. I am curious to find out why my father put so much trust in them. I'll admit that I'm a little skeptical, but I look forward to working with them." He paused for a moment, looking blankly at the wall behind Tseng. "As for Hojo... whether they know or don't know his motives, I _will_ get to the bottom of it one day. Right now, our priority is Sephiroth."

* * *

Reno stood in front of a large glass window, looking out towards the destruction from sixty-one floors above. He was staring at what used to be Sector 7—a gaping hole, between the ragged edges of Sectors 6 and 8. He could see so much debris through the hole, which had piled up from the bottom of the undercity. Thousands of people were in there, thousands of people dead.

 _He_ did that. _He_ pushed the button. And it was all for nothing.

With a soft groan, he leaned forward on his crutches and faced the ground. That mission took a much larger toll on his mind than his body. But if there was anything he and all his colleagues had learned over the years, it was to move on with their business and never look back. From a mental standpoint, it was the bravest thing any Turk could do—putting the past behind them.

 _No... it was President Shinra. He destroyed Sector 7 and killed all those people. Thank fuckin' god_ _Rufus is now in charge..._

"... Reno?" Rude's voice broke in on his thoughts. "How are you feeling?"

He took a glimpse over his shoulder and smiled. "I missed ya."

"If you're wondering where Elena is," Rude said as he joined his side, "I believe the director has sent her to patrol the city."

"Tch..."

"It's standard work for all new recruits."

"And why would I care 'bout what she's doin?" Reno asked with a sour look.

"Because I know you've been thinking about her."

His eyes narrowed before another smile crept across his face. "You got it all wrong, buddy. I've been about thinkin' about _you_. Whatcha been up to?"

"I was just in the surveillance room," Rude answered.

"Watching the girl?"

"No. I was looking at security footage from the early hours of December 12th..."

"12th..." Reno murmured, pausing for a quick head count. "You saw Sephiroth, didn't you?"

The baldhead nodded. "He killed so many people... including the former President. But there was something else I saw before that... something really weird..."

The redhead squinted suspiciously. "How'd he get in the building?"

"I haven't figured that out," Rude replied with a shrug. "Sephiroth was first sighted on the sixty-seventh floor. He stopped by the jail cells where Avalanche was being held..."

"And he let them escape?"

"He might have."

Reno's eyes widened. "Uh... what? I was joking..."

Rude shrugged. "He was just standing there, staring at the door to Cloud's cell. After a few moments, he sliced it open with his sword... and then walked away, down the hall. What's stranger, Avalanche didn't make their escape until an hour and a half later."

Two questions came to Reno as he thought about what he'd heard. How did Sephiroth know Cloud was in that cell, and why did he help him out? The redhead stayed quiet for a long moment, knowing that Rude was just as confused as he was. Perhaps the biggest mystery was how Sephiroth was still alive in the first place. "So the plot thickens," Reno finally commented. "Where'd he go after that?"

"Towards the Presidential Office," Rude stated. "The way he murdered President Shinra... holy shit. You've got to see it."

* * *

It was horrifying. Just horrifying and tragic... yet there was something mildly satisfying about the way the sword penetrated the man's flesh. Reno thought about Sector 7 as he watched the footage. Hundreds and thousands of innocent lives... all gone because of him. President Shinra definitely deserved what he got.


	14. Tracking Jenova

**[ v ] - εγλ 0007/12/14**

Elena could barely contain her excitement as she followed Rude down the helipad. It was finally time for her first mission.

"Your first mission is to sit in the helicopter, holding this thing," Rude said, handing her the _Jenova Tracker_.

Her eyes lit up with wonder. "Oh! This must be the device Mr. Tseng was talking about." The baldhead ignored her as they entered a _B1-Alpha_ helicopter from opposite sides. "My first time in a Shinra helicopter..."

"You'll be trained to pilot one soon."

Elena flinched at the sound of the engine starting. "What about our seat belts!" she shouted.

"Forget them!" Rude yelled as he plugged on his headset. "If it's gonna crash, we'll jump out."

The helicopter took off, heading southwest towards a mining cave called Mythril Mine. Tseng, on the other hand, had already made his way towards Junon, the military base of Shinra and secondary home, Shinra Branch Headquarters. He was responsible for organizing Rufus' inauguration parade, which was scheduled to take place in two days.

For a long moment, Elena began to reflect back at the previous day. _What a wonderful experience it was! Tseng was so nice!_ Her supervisor had helped her with training and moving stuff into her room. If it hadn't been for his kindness, she might have had second thoughts about joining the Turks. Her other colleagues weren't really the same... as she'd quickly learned that both Reno and Rude were rather unapproachable, always keeping their thoughts to each other.

_Bzzt!_

Her daydream ended abruptly when she heard a buzzing sound from the _Jenova Tracker_. Feeling it vibrate in her left hand, she brought it close to her eyes for examination. Two lines of numbers were displayed on the reading and she had no idea what they meant.

"Rude!" she called out, showing him the device. "What does this mean?"

Rude grabbed the device and examined the reading. "It means that Jenova is somewhere within a thirty-six-mile radius. Concentration levels are still moderately low at twenty-one percent."

"Huh?!" Elena gasped in horror. "Does this mean we're getting close to Sephiroth?"

"Just traces of Jenova. Keep an eye out. He definitely did come this way."

"He's gotta be near Mythril Mine..." she said curiously, reaching for a pair of binoculars. "Are we almost there?"

"Almost. Just keep an eye out."

_So Sephiroth did come this way..._ Rude wondered why. Another two minutes passed, and he began to descend towards Mythril Mine as the radius closed to within five miles, while concentration levels increased to forty-five percent. It was around that moment when Elena found something strange through her binoculars.

"What in the world...?" Elena called out. "Sir! I think I found something."

"Hm...?"

"Whoa! They're... Zoloms," she said. "They're all... dead. Four Midgar Zoloms, impaled on a tree."

Rude's attention was finally caught. "Impaled on a tree?"

"Yeah, down there. Take a look."

Looking through the binoculars, Rude confirmed Elena's observations. There were mammoth-sized Zoloms on a large grassy terrain, sliced and impaled on a large tree like a shish kebab. He had never seen one, let alone _four_ , brutalized in such a horrendous fashion. "Interesting..." Rude commented as he returned the binoculars. "I think we should go investigate. Maybe Sephiroth had something to do with this."

"Yes, we should go see," Elena said. "Should I report to Mr. Tseng?"

"Sure."

* * *

As the helicopter descended, Rude noticed that the massacre had occurred close to Mythril Mine. According to new witness reports, Avalanche had been sighted and were also heading southwest of Midgar, traveling on Chocobos to cross the Zolom-infested marshlands. Tseng had informed Rude to keep an eye out for them, without diverting his attention away from the mission.

After landing the chopper, Rude pulled out a camera as he observed the dead Zoloms up close. Elena was behind him, cautiously looking around her surroundings.

"Those are slash wounds," he said, taking multiple snapshots of the scene. "No one could have done this except Sephiroth."

"Clearly," Elena murmured. "We should be careful... there could be Zoloms around."

"Zoloms aren't attracted to their own blood."

"Right... what we should worry about is Sephiroth. Is he nearby? The tracker's going crazy."

"That's because he left behind some traces," Rude explained. "I say we check inside the cave."

Elena's eyes narrowed as she gazed at the cave entrance. "Must be dark in there..."

"There are monsters in there. Weak monsters. Nothing to be afraid of."

"Let's go, then," Elena agreed but didn't move, expecting him to lead the way.

"You go first," Rude commanded as he pulled out his phone. "Tseng, we're going inside Mythril Mine. Zoloms' entrance."

The Mythril Mine had long been abandoned, though at one point in time, it was once valued for its energy source. When Mako energy was later discovered, the mines were still used to manufacture and sell mythril-made products. It was the invasion of Midgar Zoloms that stopped the mining expeditions for good, dating back to the nineties.

With Elena leading the way, the Turks entered the cave and immediately ran into a fork. She turned around to face Rude, wondering which path they should take, but Rude shrugged and gave no response. Taking the left path, the narrow walkway began to slope immediately, with broken rope lines hanging loosely on the gravel. It was manageable, however, for they were guided by natural light along the walls of the cave. After about one hundred yards, the growling and crackling of monsters grew around them as the walkway expanded into a rocky plain, surrounded by stalagmites. Rude knew from experience that they would be ambushed at any moment.

"Behind you."

"Ah!" Elena yelped as she felt a sharp claw tugging her leg. She immediately kicked the scorpion-like creature aside and pulled out a hand grenade. Five more monsters surrounded Rude as she chucked the weapon at her attacker, destroying it instantly. Rude defeated three of them with a single right hand, before allowing Elena to handle the rest. Conflict resolved... in twelve seconds.

"Castanets..." Rude identified the creatures. "These guys are harmless. We can do without grenades next time."

"Oh, sorry..." Elena groaned as she rubbed her right calf. "Ow..."

He motioned her to keep walking forward. "Not wearing any protection there?"

"Unfortunately not. Tseng gave me a Minerva Band for my arm, though."

"Powerful armor."

"Yeah, it lets you equip up to six Materia, but..." Elena stopped for a moment and confessed, "I never use Materia."

"You just don't know how to use it," Rude said.

"Hey, I know some spells. Just not a whole lot. I'd like to learn _Fire_ one day."

"..."

"What armor do _you_ have?"

"Ziedrich."

"What's that?"

Rude shrugged, and again waved for her to keep moving.

Elena sighed in frustration. She'd already grown sick of his quietness.

* * *

Conversations were scarce over the next hour or so. It seemed that whenever she had something to say or ask, he would only respond in one or two words, sometimes nothing at all. Elena liked to talk and laugh, and Rude was the complete opposite. He was very similar to her sister, she thought—they were both stoic and emotionless, with a personality as interesting as watching paint dry. He wasn't obnoxious like Emma was, but his silence was just as irritating, if not more.

As for the mission, their hopes of finding Sephiroth had minimized significantly. He was nowhere near where they were, according to the _Jenova Tracker_.

Elena stopped at a dead end on a ledge above the ground. "He's... he's not here," she wheezed, turning around to see Rude far behind. As she waited for him to catch up, she took out her portable mirror and checked her reflection.

"We're pretty close to the exit," he said, pulling out a bottle of water. Just as he brought it to his mouth, they were interrupted by the sound of his PHS.

" _Rude, Elena,_ " Tseng called out. " _I'm approaching Mythril Mine from the Junon Area. There have been reports of Sephiroth heading towards Junon Harbor..._ "

"Junon?" Rude gasped as Elena took a step towards him. "Isn't Rufus holding a parade there in two days?"

" _Yes. Junon is where we'll capture him, hopefully before the parade._ "

"Understood, sir... but what are you doing in Mythril Mine? We're also near the exit of the cave."

Tseng paused for a few seconds. " _Heidegger has ordered me to mobilize the troops to Fort Condor, and then search for clues about Avalanche._ _Thought I'd check Mythril Mine before heading to Junon._ "

"I see..." Rude muttered. "I was wondering because Sephiroth is clearly not here. But why Avalanche?"

There was another pause. " _I don't understand Heidegger..._ " Tseng sighed. _"The President's already made it clear that our primary concern is Sephiroth..._ "

"Well..."

" _Forget his orders._ _I'm not wasting a second of my time on Avalanche._ "

"Got it."

" _Head to Junon Harbor immediately. We'll meet at the exit._ "

"Yes sir."

"Sir?" Elena spoke up as soon as the call ended. "Apologies for the dumb question... but why doesn't President Rufus see any danger in Avalanche? For Gaia's sake, they blew up Sector 7, didn't they?"

"Because they're only a small group," Rude said with a weird shrug. He was _not_ allowed to tell her the secret about Sector 7.

"That..." Elena muttered, "I'm not sure that answers my question..."

"...Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Human voices were approaching them. At first, it sounded like two females talking to one another. But it was the vigorous cackle of a man that caused Rude to freeze. They were only echoes, for now... but they were sounds he recognized all too well. Staring wide-eyed at the ground below, he gasped as 'Cloud' was mentioned by one of the females. He also noticed, without fully understanding why, that the _Jenova Tracker_ had started to vibrate again, albeit very slowly.

"Fuck..."

Elena looked at him curiously. "Huh? Who are those people?"

Ignoring her for the moment, Rude tiptoed towards a nearby stalagmite and motioned her to follow. "Come on."

"What's going on?" she hissed.

He pointed to the ground below. "Cloud Strife and Avalanche are coming."

"What!?"

"I can recognize the voices," Rude said, crouching low behind the rock. "Down there, see?"

She followed his gaze, suspicious... and spotted the five Avalanche members, walking in their direction. "Oh no!" Elena cried. "What are we gonna do?!"

Rude stayed quiet as he watched them get closer. And then, after a few moments, he stood up and walked towards the ledge. "We're going to introduce ourselves to them."

"Huh?" Elena croaked, staring at him in confusion. "But... why?"

"They're also after Sephiroth..." Rude stopped at the ledge and thought twice about jumping down. "So it's important to know where we stand with them."

"Umm... okay? Is this really a good idea?" she asked, watching him drop twenty-five feet to the bottom. "What if they attack us? We're outnumbered..."

"Introduce yourself to them," he said as he reached the ground. "But you stay up there."

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Elena whispered to herself. She couldn't understand his logic... would Tseng have done the same thing? Regardless, this was unbelievable! She would have never expected to see Avalanche on her first mission. And Rude was just standing there, patiently waiting for their arrival.

When the time came, he raised a right hand and yelled to the group, "Just a second!"

"The hell?" Barret spat, immediately reaching for his gun-arm. Cloud, however, turned around and gestured for him to lower it.

"Who are you?" Tifa asked; she was in the front of the group beside Cloud. Rude studied her appearance—the miniskirt and sleeveless shirt she wore revealed her long legs and bare midriff. Standing behind her was Aerith and Red XIII, the two specimens who were rescued in the Shinra Building.

After making eye contact with everyone, Rude asked, "Do you know who I am?"

His question was directed at Cloud. "From the Turks, right?"

"Well if you know, then this won't take long. It's difficult to explain what the Turks do..."

He stopped as he thought about Sector 7, and prayed that none of them would mention it. "Kidnapping, right?" Cloud guessed.

"To put it negatively... You could say that. But..." Rude paused as he looked at Tifa again. "That's not all there is to it, anymore..."

He trailed off for the third time and awkward silence fell over the cavern. Elena sighed—she had expected better from the veteran Turk. "Sir!" she called out enthusiastically. Rude tilted his head towards her while the Avalanche members looked around the cavern, finding her high above. "It's alright, Rude! I know you don't like speeches, so don't force it!"

He nodded in relief. "Then Elena, explain."

"I'm the newest member of the Turks, Elena," she began with a smile. "Thanks to what you did to Reno, we're shorthanded... but because of that, I got promoted to the Turks."

She waited for Rude to speak again, knowing she'd done what he'd asked her to do. Her smile quickly faded as he continued to stand there like a statue, leaving her hanging in the most awkward way. She looked at Avalanche who all remained silent, and she rolled her eyes.

"Anyhow..." she continued, "Our job is to find out where Sephiroth is headed. And to try and stop you every step of the way."

"..."

More silence from everyone, and she scratched her head, thinking about what she had said. "Wait a minute, it's the other way around... _you're_ the ones getting in _our_ way..."

"...Elena. You talk too much."

Her eyes widened at the familiar voice. It was Tseng!

"Mr. Tseng!?"

Her boss glared at her as he emerged from the opposite side of the cavern, behind Rude. "No need to tell them about our orders."

Elena gulped as she realized her mistake, and looked down at her shoes. "Sorry... Tseng."

"I thought I gave your orders," he said, referring to the possible sighting of Sephiroth. "Now go. And don't forget to file your report."

"Oh! Right!" Elena exclaimed, grinning again. "Very well. Rude and I will go after Sephiroth, who's heading for Junon Harbor!"

Tseng sighed. "Elena, you don't seem to understand."

"Oh! I'm, I'm sorry..."

Pausing for a moment, he looked at his subordinates and pointed behind him. "Go. Don't let Sephiroth get away."

"Yes sir!"

As Elena climbed down the ledge, Rude took a few steps towards Tseng before turning back to Cloud. "Reno said he wanted to see you after the injuries you gave him healed," he warned. "He wants to show his affection for you all... with a new weapon."

Joining Elena, he ran past their leader and out the other side. They waited for Tseng, who had taken a step forward to confront Avalanche. "Well, then... Aerith, long time no see. Looks like you're safe from Shinra for a while, now that Sephiroth reappeared."

"What are you saying?" Aerith glared at him bitterly. "That I should be grateful to Sephiroth?"

He shook his head. "No. I won't be seeing too much of you, so take care."

As he turned around to leave, she responded, "Strange... hearing that from you."

"Well then, stay out of Shinra's way." Tseng waved at her before walking away.


	15. Turks in Training

**[ v ] - εγλ 0007/12/15**

"Amazing, Mr. Reno. Your condition has greatly improved."

"Yeah? Am I medically cleared?"

"Give it another three or four days. I'd advise you to begin training again, however. A little cardio certainly wouldn't hurt."

"Thanks, doc."

"Remember to wear your rib brace."

Two days was all he needed to start feeling like himself again. He no longer needed crutches and was recovering faster than anyone would've imagined. With all that had happened in the last week, he was grateful to have spent it in a safe place, but now, he couldn't wait to return to action.

Elena had spent most of the morning in her office, patiently waiting for Reno. Tseng had asked them to take the day off and train together in the Shinra Building. Reno had agreed to meet up with Elena in her office, and for some reason, it didn't surprise her that he was running a few minutes late. She had never worked with him before, but he just seemed like the person who always arrived late to work.

When he finally came, she squeaked in surprise as her door was slammed open with a loud bang. "Rookie!" Reno shouted. "How was your first mission?"

"Well, excuse you!"

"Didn't go well?"

Elena glared at him for a moment, and folded her arms. "I thought the Turks were supposed to be more professional."

"Whoa there, lass." He took a step back and raised his hands. "Didn't mean to scare you like that."

"Seriously? You come twenty minutes late, only to just barge in without knocking! You don't expect that from a high-ranking Turk. Or at least, I don't."

"The hell?" Reno spat, taken aback at her harshness. "You've got a big mouth, Elena. I advise you to be a little more respectful to your _superior_."

She opened her mouth to speak again, but paused as she thought about what he'd said. "Look," she mumbled, noticing the bandage on his forehead. "I'm sorry about your injury... but can we just get to—"

"Apologizing now?! For _that?_ Turks don't apologize for crybaby things like that," Reno yapped, placing a hand on her shoulder. Elena nearly cried in pain as he squeezed it, but she managed to keep her face straight. He came close to her and breathed into her ear, "I understand that you're a girl... but if you're going to be one of us, you've got a lot to prove today."

"Yes sir," she said, rolling her eyes. _I take it back... this guy's gonna be a major pain._ "Yesterday's mission went okay. But sir, can we just get to work? We're already half an hour late..."

"Half an hour, half a day, doesn't matter if the Chief ain't here," Reno replied with a smirk. "But if you're so eager to work... then follow me."

* * *

There was no better place to train than the Floor 64 gym.

"Now that you work here," Reno said as he met Elena outside the changing rooms. He was wearing sweatpants and a white sleeveless shirt while his female colleague had put on shorts and a silver tank top. "You can use this gym anytime. It's open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week."

Elena laughed. "Sure beats training in my room in Wall Market."

Reno blinked in curiosity, well aware that she had also worked part-time in the red-light district. "Aren't you from the Upper Plate?" he asked, and she nodded. "Why'd a girl from topside come to train and work in _Wall Market_ of all places?"

"To stay _away_ from my family," Elena answered with a grin. "SMA's got housing everywhere in the Slums, for international students and students like myself. Moving to Sector 6 wasn't my first choice but all the other places were already taken when I registered for student housing."

Without stopping to hear a response, she continued, "It wasn't so bad, actually. I grew up in the Slums. And most of the creeps hung out near Honey Bee. The only part I really hated was whenever my sister visited me during my shifts. Still not as bad as moving back to the Upper Plate after grad, where I was forced to live with mom and dad for two months. Now _that_ was bad."

"...Interesting," Reno said, taking note of her talkativeness. Making no further comment, he looked at the time and pointed to the space behind him. "We should probably get started. Didn't come here to chat, did we?"

She shrugged. "Of course not. But you were wondering why I lived in Wall Market..."

"And you were able to answer my question with one sentence. Not twenty."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine," she conceded, turning to the treadmill area. "Let's go."

The Floor 64 gym was quiet during weekends, with very few employees in the building outside working hours. Not the case for Turks and SOLDIERs, as they worked any time of the week under a special contract. But as far as training went, the SOLDIERs were rarely seen on Floor 64. They stayed on Floor 49, where their training was powered by a virtual reality system, complete with digital enemies and other projected holographic elements. Training was all they did outside of assignments, and it was far more intense than the average Turks' workout... but at the end of the day, the Turks were still paid better.

After an hour of weights and cardio, Reno made his way to the training room area. Elena had expressed her desire to practice hand-to-hand with him, curious to see how her skills matched up against a veteran Turk. Reno also looked forward to a chance to practice, but for whatever reason, he felt that Elena would be too easy of an opponent for him.

"So you specialize in martial arts," he said as they walked to the center of the room. "Do you really think you can beat me?"

She shot him a puzzled look. "Huh? I never said that..."

"Wrong attitude, rookie," he scoffed, and without hesitation, went for a high kick. She managed to block it with her wrist, and duck safely as his other leg swung for her head. The redhead smiled as he backed away, noting her fast reflexes. "Hm. This'll be fun."

"You underestimate me," Elena said with a scowl. "I've beaten up men twice my size, I'll have you know!"

"Is that so..." he laughed. "Well, kid—"

Reno gasped as a boot caught him in the face. Elena had charged at the redhead, surprising him with a kick of her own. She went for his legs in an attempt to drop him, only to jump back as he spun forward for a punch. She matched his quickness and made a valiant effort to dodge his attacks, darting backwards to give herself space. After she countered with another kick, the two traded shots for a little while, struggling to gain the upper hand on one another.

Their scuffle became one-sided when he took advantage of her small size and slammed her to the mat. Elena squeaked in pain as he fell onto her, his full weight bearing down on her midsection. He pinned her by the wrists and smirked.

"Should you give up?" Reno said sarcastically. "Declare me the winner of this match and I'll let go."

"No!" she shouted between short breaths. "That'll never happen!"

He smacked her face and she growled fiercely, squirming and kicking and doing everything she could to break free. After a few moments, she managed to slide underneath him and wind up on top. But before she had any chance to hit him, his legs wrapped around her torso and held her in a scissors lock. Gripping tightly, he rolled with her across the room, dragging her around like a ragdoll until all the oxygen was sucked out of her.

"Come on, your sister can do better than that!" Reno taunted. "She wasn't even trained in martial arts!"

Rage burned inside Elena, waiting to be unleashed as adrenaline rushed through her veins. Suddenly, she found strength to recuperate, carrying his weight and standing up out of sheer will. Reno loosened his grip, which had become ineffective, and flinched at the movement of countless fists striking him from every possible angle. He leaped backwards to give himself space, and took some time to regain his composure. The match evened out again, with Reno laughing every time she hit his torso, as he was unable to feel anything there thanks to the rib brace underneath his shirt.

He realized after a few minutes that there was no way she could win. She was tough, no doubt, but she was fighting on willpower at this point, clearly unaware that he was only toying with her. Her shots had already turned slow and weak, and Reno wondered if he should just end it with a single knockout blow.

Elena felt her stamina diminish, much faster than she'd expected, and it didn't take much longer before a roundhouse kick struck her in the face. She crashed to the mat hard, and winced as Reno pinned her and held her by the wrists. She was now completely out of breath, making no attempt to escape as she laid motionless on the mat. Despite this, the rookie still had no intentions of surrendering to the arrogant bastard.

"Have you given up?" he teased again. "Because you should."

"Never!" she managed to shout through the immense pain. "Never to a son of a bitch like you!"

His expression tensed. He was already doing her a favor by sitting on her legs and not her stomach, which helped her breathe a little better. "You _do_ realize that I ain't lettin' go until you surrender?" he said, his grip tightening as she cursed at him a second time. He wanted the poor girl to beg for mercy.

"I'm not...! No!" she groaned, her eyes staring at his smirk. She made a last-gasp effort by raising her head for a headbutt, but it was no use. "N-no! I... I can't lose!"

When Reno looked down her body, he caught a glimpse of her bare midriff, slightly exposed below the hem of her shirt. He paused for a moment, and snickered as a brilliant idea came to him. "You _still_ don't want to give up?" he warned one last time. "Guess I have no other choice."

"What are you..." Elena murmured as her arms were slowly released. This was her one chance to break free but it was already too late. Peals of laughter erupted from her lips as she reacted to a new touch—one that made her entire body squirm and wriggle helplessly. "Wha-wa-wa-HAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA!"

Reno had slid his hands beneath her shirt and started tickling her sides and ribs like crazy. "You're ticklish!" he said in a teasing voice. "Give up now!"

"N-no! Hehehehehe! S-stop it, _STOP!_ HAHAHAHAHA!"

Elena was _extremely_ ticklish. So ticklish, in fact, that she had quickly lost all control of her body. Begging for him to stop wasn't going to help, as there was no way he was stopping until he was declared the winner. Her hysterical laughter was like music to his ears, and it made him so happy to see her squirm in a futile attempt to escape the unbearable sensation.

The next three minutes was the worst torture she'd ever endured in her life, and he could have easily kept going had she not finally surrendered. "Okay! Okay! I give! I give! You win-eheheheh! HAHAHAHA! PLEASE!"

When Reno rolled away, Elena continued to lie on the mat, panting wildly with tears all over her face. She was still letting out giggles, showing little movement as her hands gripped her sensitive sides. But as relieved as she was that he stopped, she was already thinking of revenge. _That fucking pervert... heheheheh... I hate him so much!_

After taking a few minutes to catch her breath, Elena stood up and gave Reno the middle finger. "I'm gonna fuckin' kill you!" she yelled, charging at him with all the rage inside her. The redhead responded by quickly scrambling to his feet, and the two squared off for the second time.

Unfortunately for Elena, that was only the beginning of the entire process repeating itself. Reno, on the other hand, found the whole thing hilarious, which made for a _very_ successful day of training.


	16. Inauguration Day

**[ v ] - εγλ 0007/12/16, 9:45—13:00**

Countless red banners proclaiming a 'New Age' of Shinra were raised along Upper Junon's Main Street. Thousands of residents and visitors had gathered in the city to attend the President's inauguration parade. There was so much noise caused by the company's marching band, its deafening volume resonating from Junon Harbor to the top levels of Shinra Branch Headquarters.

Three of the four Turks had spent the morning in the Shinra Members Bar. Tseng, Elena, and Reno were seated at the front counter, overlooking Main Street on the surveillance monitor. The Shinra Members Bar had no other customers, and the barkeeper could easily blame the Turks for that. A small group of patrolmen had come in earlier, only to turn around as soon as one of them recognized the black suits. Apparently, to a lot of folks even within Shinra, the Turks were a scary bunch.

"These guys always look up to SOLDIERs," Reno said. "Why are they so terrified of us?"

"Terrified of you," Elena corrected him. "I mean, there's nothing terrifying about you in the literal sense, but your personality just scares people away."

Reno shot her a weird look and leaned over to Tseng. "See what I mean, Chief? All she ever does is spew out nonsense."

Tseng, however, wasn't paying attention, partly due to the roaring noise of the marching band. "Tseng, sir?" Elena called out.

He only noticed her when she spun towards him. "Yes?"

"I'd like to have a few things cleared up..."

"What is it?"

"About the murders." Elena was actually referring to an incident where two troopers were found dead in Upper Junon. "That _should_ be enough evidence that Sephiroth was in the city, right?"

"Yes, it's true," Tseng confirmed. "But where exactly remains unknown. Why do you ask?"

"I..." Elena paused and bit her lip. "I worry. What if he's still here?"

"Imagine if he appears on live television and crashes the parade," Reno spoke in a sarcastic voice. "Surely that would give the Turks something interesting to do for once." He gulped his beer and smirked as Elena covered her mouth in surprise. Tseng glowered at him angrily.

"Why would you say that? Ridiculous!" she shouted before turning back to Tseng. "Sir, I don't think we're taking this seriously..."

"We're taking this very seriously," he corrected her while still glaring at the redhead. "What makes you think otherwise?"

"It's just..." She paused and turned to Reno. "The minute you think the job's boring, you guys start messing around."

"Tseng messes around?"

"I meant you and Rude."

"Those are big words coming from a rookie," Tseng said, causing her to turn away, ashamed. He then scowled at Reno. "You two don't embarrass yourselves on live television. And to clarify, yes... Sephiroth was in Junon, but the parade was scheduled long before he got here. Now's not the time to get everyone to panic... and as you already know, the President has made it clear that we proceed as planned."

"The President's safety is secure because we're here," Reno joked. "Really! But who's in charge of organizing the parade? Heidegger. And I'm sure he gives zero fucks about Sephiroth and how he could be in Junon. He's too dumb to even consider this possibility."

"Hey. Stay outta this." Tseng did not condone Reno's hatred for Heidegger. It was unprofessional and unnecessary, even if he was just keeping it between them.

Elena glared at Reno, who smirked at her in return. Dramatic silence settled over them as the blaring music filled the air. Taking out his phone, Tseng went over his day schedule quietly.

The Turks had the task of accompanying Rufus following the hour-long parade. The new President, along with Heidegger, would first sail to Costa del Sol aboard the _Shinra Cargo Ship_ , with the Turks in tow by helicopter. He would then take the Turks to various towns, addressing his presidency to the people of Corel, Gongaga, and Cosmo Canyon. He had anticipated using the _Highwind_ as his primary travel airship, at first... however, Heidegger had informed him that it was in need of repairs. With the _Gelnikas_ also out of service, Rufus had no choice but to resort to helicopters, assigning the Turks to fly him around the Western Continent. Once finished with their work, the Turks hoped to return to Costa del Sol and spend the evening there.

For now, they still had two hours to kill before the parade. "Thanks for the booze," Reno said as he hopped off the barstool. He looked at Tseng and pointed to the exit. "I'm goin' to the other where Rude is."

Tseng glanced at his watch and nodded. "Very well. I'll see you at the parade."

After Reno left, Elena gave a long look at the door, still thinking of ways to get revenge on him. She was sore all over from yesterday's training, and it was her stomach that hurt the most from excessive laughter. It angered her so much knowing he had bested her in the most humiliating way.

"Training went well yesterday?"

Her eyes narrowed at Tseng's words. She wanted to rant and rave, but somehow stayed quiet as their eyes met. Just looking at him seemed to calm her, and she stared down at the counter, biting her lip. "It was fine..."

He noticed the odd tone in her voice, and wondered if anything was wrong. "Reno's an acquired taste. I hope he wasn't too hard on you."

"Oh, no... no. I can handle him."

"Hm," Tseng responded with a quiet chuckle before turning away, sighing. "He hasn't acted quite the same since his injury."

"I see..." Elena's eyes lingered on him for a few seconds. She looked away when they met again, finding herself at a loss for words. Something about him made her shy... but she only felt this way when they were alone together.

"Let's go to the firing range," he spoke, ending the brief silence. "I would like to see your shooting skills."

"Now...?" she said, suddenly puzzled. "But what about the parade?"

"We still have about two hours. The range is pretty close from here."

"Oh... alright."

Elena felt her nerves creeping in.

* * *

"Reno's coming," Rude announced in a slurred voice. He was seated at a table in the Gentleman's Bar, smoking and playing poker with four other men.

"The fuckin' redhead?" a younger baldhead called out. "But he doesn't quite fit in with all of us!"

"We'll... get him to shave his head!" shouted another. "Loser shaves his head!"

"BAHAHAHA!"

Drunken laughter filled the bar as cards were passed around the table. Rude smiled, watching the dealer's movements while popping open another beer. As he waited, he pressed the end of his cigarette to his lips and exhaled. The noise in the room faded after a dozen or so seconds, and he asked, "Who's playing?"

"Ooh! Me!"

"Aye."

"...Who the fuck is _this_ guy?"

Following the man's gaze, Rude stood up and spotted a lone trooper in the bar, wandering close to their table. "Mm...? You too?" he said, stepping aside to give him space. "Then take your mask off and come here. That's our rule."

The trooper shrugged. "Ignore me. I'm in the wrong place."

"Oi, Rude! Who's the Avalanche hottie?" yelled a voice from the other side of the room. It was an older man, examining a wanted poster on the wall—mugshots of the three terrorists.

"Her name's Tifa," Rude replied with a smirk. "Wanted by me. I don't care if she's our enemy... she's fucking beautiful."

* * *

Tseng studied the rookie as she practiced putting her gun together. It was mildly entertaining, with the way she took several glimpses at the targets while loading her weapon. He was aware that she was more specialized in martial arts, having dropped the weapon classes in her final school year. But so far, he was impressed with how fast she had assembled her gun, and he hoped to see the same quickness and prowess during the actual drill.

The firing range was located high above Junon, overlooking the sea. Several rows of targets had already been set up, at distances ranging from five to fifty yards.

"Whenever you're ready," Tseng gestured.

Elena nodded, slightly distracted by the light breeze swaying her hair. She took a deep breath before aiming at a mid-range target, her gun gripped with both hands. When she fired, her body jerked in a rhythm as several loud bangs went off. Tseng narrowed his eyes as he observed her movements, gazing ahead only after she had finished the first clip.

"You could probably be a little more... precise," he said, noting the inconsistency in her shots. The bullets were all over the place.

"I'm sorry, sir, I just..." Elena frowned as she reloaded her gun. "I'm a little nervous."

"Don't let nervousness affect how you perform. It could mean the difference between life and death."

She bit her lip. "Yes sir."

"Focus, and try again."

Elena stretched her arms and took a deep breath, studying the target once more. When she was ready, she fired again until the clip emptied.

The results were similar. She was quick, he noticed, but her precision was off. Tseng shook his head. "Not good."

Her face reddened as she stared at the targets in shame. _Okay... I can do this..._

She reloaded her gun once more, but froze as she felt Tseng's presence, close behind her. "Relax," he murmured, gently pushing down her shoulders. He moved his hands down her arms and placed them over her fingers, arranging them to give her a better grip. Elena stood still as he adjusted her position, keeping her breath held until he was done. He stepped aside and nodded to her. "There, now try."

She fired again.

This time, her aim was much better.

"Wow!" Elena turned to Tseng with a cheerful smile. "That was so good! Thank you."

He smiled back. "Well done. Now, let's see that again."

"Yes sir."

Elena practiced a little longer, unleashing clip after clip until her aim was perfect. Tseng had once again helped her see a friendlier side of the Turks, after she'd spent the last couple days with Reno and Rude.

* * *

At 12:00 PM, Rufus Shinra was officially declared President of the Shinra Electric Power Company. The parade had finally started along Main Street. On the golden float featured the five leaders of the Shinra Company: Scarlet, Palmer, Reeve, Heidegger, and the new President Shinra himself, waving gracefully at the hundreds of people watching from their balconies, and the thousands below on the city's lower levels. Large groups of cameramen and broadcasters followed the float as it approached the podium at the end of the street.

Arriving to their destination, the Shinra Executives stepped aside and stood by the large wall behind the podium, decorated with the same 'New Age' banners and the flags of Shinra and Junon. The Turks, who had been waiting behind the wall, stepped in and joined the formation of Executives. When the parade music finally ended, Rufus stepped onto the podium for his inauguration speech.

"Director Heidegger, Reeve, Scarlet, Palmer... the great city of Junon, and everyone in attendance today and around the world: Thank you," he spoke through the microphone. "It is of great honor to stand before you all as the new President of Shinra Electric Power Company.

"Today marks the beginning of the 'New Age'. But let it be known first-hand that this is not a time of celebration. We are still mourning all those who have lost their lives. I was put into this position because my father was among those casualties. However, I don't believe his death to be a great loss to the Shinra Company. We are aware of how much your trust for Shinra has minimized over the last many years. I am here to change that and set things right..."

He made no mention of Sephiroth throughout his speech, as he didn't want to cause panic among the public. As for Avalanche, Rufus kept it simple, promising a quick and favorable resolution to end their terrorist ways. When his speech ended, a military helicopter made its way to the podium. Rufus entered it alongside Heidegger, who turned around and waved at the Turks, signaling them to head for Junon Airport. No Sephiroth, no problem—the inauguration parade was a success.


	17. Truth or Dare?

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/16, 20:30—21:00**

When evening settled in, the Turks found themselves in Costa del Sol. A tropical town, found along the east coast of the Western Continent, Costa del Sol was renowned as one of the hottest locations in the world. It was home to the Planet's cleanest and most beautiful beaches, and served as a common holiday spot for many Shinra employees. Following an overseas mission, the Turks often visited the town for a taste of its finest food and drinks.

One of the town's more popular establishments was Bar del Sol, a tavern praised for its exquisite drinks, lavish atmosphere, and occasional live music. Tseng, Reno, Rude, and Elena had gathered around a table at this drinkery, after a relatively easy day of following Rufus around the Western Continent.

"Let's play a game," Reno said after downing a bottle. He placed the bottle sideways at the center of the table and spun it. His colleagues stared at the spinning object as it slowly came to a halt, and pointed at the rookie Turk. "Elena. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

Before Reno could respond, Tseng cut in with a glare, "Why do _you_ get to go first?"

"Not so fast there," he said before turning to the person on his left. "Rude, you start by asking her a truth question."

Rude sipped his drink and smirked at the girl. "Do you have a crush on anyone?"

Elena's mouth went wide. "Um... I suppose...?"

"Who?"

"Is it someone we know—"

"You don't get to ask two questions," Tseng interrupted. Elena let out a relieved sigh and sipped her cocktail.

"Aw, come on!" Reno groaned in disappointment. "Your turn, Elena."

A smile returned to her face as she spun the bottle. It pointed at Rude.

"Truth," he said immediately.

"Do you... sleep with your sunglasses on?" She didn't know anything better to ask. Reno cackled loudly.

"Absolutely not."

"...Can you take them off? I've never seen—"

"Absolutely not."

"Rude's turn again!" Reno blurted with his mouth full of food.

This time, the bottle pointed at the commander, who let out a sigh. "Truth."

"Why is everyone going for truths?" the redhead shouted again. "I wanna see Tseng dance or somethin'..."

Rude ignored him and stared down his target. "Who would you say is better-looking? Aerith..." He paused before turning to the person across. "Or Elena?"

Reno spit out his drink. "HAHAHAHA!"

While Elena turned away uncomfortably, Tseng needed a moment to think of an answer. "Well... they're both... uh, attractive in their own ways," he said, stuttering a bit as he faced Rude. "It's difficult to pick which one... but... I can confidently say, without a shadow of a doubt, that Elena is more beautiful than Aerith."

"Are you serious?" Reno hollered in protest It wasn't that he thought Tseng was lying, but he and Rude were both aware of his feelings for Aerith. "You're joking!"

"I'm afraid I don't really have an answer to these kinds of questions," he admitted with a shrug. Rude raised a brow.

"Come on, man! You gotta answer truthfully!"

Meanwhile, the normally outspoken rookie had been reduced to silence, blushing and avoiding eye contact with everyone. She wondered what the relationship between Tseng and Aerith were. Friends, maybe? Or lovers at one point?

"In any case..." Rude spoke as everything settled down. "Chief, go ahead."

Tseng spun the bottle.

It stopped... at Tseng. "This game... makes no sense," he said as Reno groaned loudly. "I dare myself to not play anymore."

"No, sir," Rude explained. "This means you can choose anyone you'd like."

Tseng stayed silent for a moment, thinking... before realizing his golden opportunity. And with a rare smirk, he looked across to the person across from him. "Reno. Truth or dare?"

"Dare, like a _man_."

"I dare you to go to the washroom, button up your damn uniform for once, and come out wearing your underwear over your pants."

"Ahahahaha!" Elena suddenly laughed while Rude smacked his forehead.

"You gotta be fuckin' kidding me," Reno groaned as he slowly got to his feet. "Wait, what if I'm not wearing underwear?"

"Dude, I can see your boxers," Elena pointed out; it was barely sticking out above his pants. "You're not even wearing a belt!"

"Shut up, kid," he scolded her. "Alright, fine! I'll see you guys in a bit."

As he left for the washroom, Rude looked at the rookie and said, "While we wait... Elena, truth or dare?"

"Hey, you didn't even spin the bottle," she protested. "And why is it your turn?"

Rude shrugged at her and adjusted his sunglasses. "Fine, dare me to do something."

"Go on the stage and start dancing like an idiot."

"I refuse."

"As expected." Elena smiled and took another sip of her drink. "Why not, too shy?"

After a dramatic pause, Rude straightened his uniform and stood up. Elena and Tseng watched him curiously as he made his way to the dance floor.

At the right moment, he began to bob his head to the music, drawing a giggle from the rookie. Rude swayed his arms and hips in a smooth rhythm, and his bald head shimmered as the spotlight focused on him. He shuffled his feet back and forth before spinning around on one foot, using the momentum to propel himself for a backflip. The crowd roared in applause as he moonwalked towards the center and finished with a jazz split. It was a short dance, but people were impressed by his moves. All the while, Elena was laughing hysterically.

Reno, meanwhile, was outside the washroom when he heard the applause. His eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of Rude walking off the stage. "Whoa... what the fuck happened?" Wearing his boxers over his pants, he ignored the weird looks that people gave him as he rushed back to the table.

"Okay, that was pretty good," Elena wiped a tear as she complimented Rude. "You didn't exactly dance like an _idiot_... because those were some amazing moves."

"Yo! I missed Rude dancing?!" Reno called out, surprising his colleagues at the table. Tseng, Elena, and Rude froze at the sight of his bright red boxers.

"Oh my god..."

"Hmph. Nice boxers."

"Reno... do us all a favor and change back to your normal clothing," Tseng said while covering his mouth. "Rude danced in front of the crowd while you were gone."

"WHAT! Seriously?" he barked, sitting down and reaching for the bottle. "I ain't going anywhere. I always miss the good stuff when I'm gone. Anyway, my turn!"

"We're still playing? Elena whined as he spun the bottle, which stopped at her after a few seconds. "Fine... I pick dare."

"Go. To the washroom," Reno commanded. "And come out with your bra over your shirt."

"No thanks," she politely refused. "I am _not_ doing that."

"More of this and it won't be long until we get kicked out of the bar," Tseng said. "As Turks, that would be quite the embarrassment."

"You're the one who started this dumb idea anyway," Reno yapped sharply before looking back at Elena. "So you want truth, then? What's your bra size?"

Elena froze at his inappropriate question. "Excuse me?"

"I asked you a question, silly. What's your bra size?"

"...Looks like we're getting kicked out, anyway" Rude spoke up before she could answer.

Following his gaze, Tseng and Elena spotted three security guards walking to their table. Reno took a longer time to find them. "Ah shit."

"Flashing your underwear in public is forbidden here," said one of the guards. "Young man, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

"You're gonna kick me out for that? What kinda stupid bar is this?"

A second guard grabbed Reno by the shoulder... and it took all his restraint to not pull out his EMR. "Reno..." Tseng warned him. The Turks had authority over local security, but it was common practice to abide by the rules in any public setting. After all, the Turks were professionals through and through.

"Let's get outta here," Reno surrendered, and his colleagues nodded in agreement. "It's getting late, anyway."

As the Turks made their way out of Bar del Sol, Reno ripped off his bright red boxers and threw it to the crowd behind him.


	18. The Black-Caped Man

**[ v ] - εγλ 0007/12/18**

It was suspected that Sephiroth had sneaked into the _Shinra Cargo Ship_ that day. Dozens of crew members were found wounded in the cargo area, with high concentrations of Jenova left behind in the engine room. Despite the evidence, no one knew how the legendary SOLDIER had entered the ship. There was nothing the Turks could have done to prevent it, as their journey from Junon to Costa del Sol was flown by helicopter.

It was suspected that Avalanche had also sneaked in. Confirmed by security footage, Cloud and his team had entered the ship as disguised Shinra crew members, somehow avoiding Sephiroth during the voyage. Rufus was quick to blame the incident on Heidegger, who was later caught on camera assaulting locals and throwing them off the dock in Costa del Sol.

Six days had passed with barely any progress made towards finding Sephiroth. Following the clues left behind in the _Cargo Ship_ , the Turks prepared to take their search to the Western Continent. Once again, Rude and Elena were paired up for the investigation while Tseng was tasked to work with the Advanced Weaponry Division. Reno, on the other hand, was asked to stay behind and recover for one more day.

"Good morning Elena," Tseng greeted. "Ready for the mission?"

"Morning... sir, what is that you're holding?" Elena asked as she took the seat next to Rude. In the hands of her supervisor was a plush black-furred cat with white spots on its face and stomach. The anthropomorphic cat was approximately three feet in height, wearing gloves and boots on its paws and a red cape around its neck, as well as a golden crown between its pointy ears. A yellow megaphone was grasped firmly in the right glove as it was held close to the cat's mouth, which smiled in a playful manner.

"This is Cait Sith," Tseng said as he playfully moved its front paws up and down. Elena raised a brow.

"Hello Elena," the cat suddenly spoke.

"Ah!" Elena jumped up in surprise. "It talked?!"

"That would be 'he', miss," Cait Sith corrected her in a chirpy voice. "Tseng, please explain to her who I am."

"Cait Sith is a robot controlled by Reeve Tuesti. He's going to spy on Avalanche. Part of your mission is to take him to the Gold Saucer."

"Cloud and company are headed there," Rude added.

"They are...?" Elena mumbled, confused but smiling. "Well, this should be interesting."

"Wait, there's more," Tseng said as he leaned under the cabinet beside his desk. "Cait Sith will be riding on this Giant Mog."

"Huh? What the...!?"

It was a plump, stuffed white Mog that stood five feet tall and spanned four feet wide. The toysaurus had a rather cute expression with its bulgy eyes and tusk-like teeth, a pair of tiny vampire-like wings hanging from the back. Its round, fingerless fists were about the size of watermelons and looked more than capable of crushing anything in its path, so long as its enormous, stumpy feet were capable of running.

"The Mog can run and fight," Rude pointed out as Tseng plugged the cat on top of the oversized robot. "The whole thing may look... cute, but it can hit hard."

"I'm also the greatest fortune teller you'll ever meet!" Cait chirped in a bizarre northern accent. "Want me to read your fortunes? Lemme know! Or shall we get going? Time's a-ticking!"

Dumbfounded, the rookie stared at the Mog for several seconds before Tseng interrupted her musings. "Rude, Elena. Go."

"Yes sir!"

With a salute, his two subordinates headed for the exit. At the doorway, Elena turned around to face Tseng, who was still at his desk. "You're not coming with us, sir?"

Tseng shook his head. "I'm busy with other things today."

"Oh..." Elena frowned in disappointment. "Okay, see you later!"

* * *

With two _Jenova Trackers_ in their possession, the Turks took their search to the Western Continent. It was an interesting flight to the Gold Saucer, which saw Rude show off his mischievous side, and Cait's antics keeping him entertained at every turn. Elena was surprised to see her colleague start a conversation... but quickly learned that he had bad intentions.

"Elena. Did you know that Tseng is ten years older than you?"

Her immediate reaction was surprise, and for more than a few seconds, she found herself unable to think out a reply. "I... didn't know that. Why do you ask?"

"Hahahahahaha... you like him, don't you?"

She froze again—this time because of the way he laughed. Like... what the hell was _that_? "W-what? I mean, no... what makes you think that?"

Rude smirked and said nothing, using his quietness to his advantage. His smirk intensified as the silence drew on, tormenting Elena with every aching second.

After a few moments, she couldn't take it. "Why are you smiling?"

"Admit it," he pried. "You like Tseng."

"I don't!"

"Hahaha..." Rude chuckled again as Elena turned away uncomfortably. He looked at the rear-view mirror and saw Cait Sith, listening to the conversation. "Hey Cait."

"Mmmm?"

"Why don't you read Elena's fortune?"

"Ohohoho!" Cait squealed as the Mog's arms flapped up and down in excitement. "A fortune for the new Turk, I'm so excited. Now, what should I predict?"

"Why don't you tell us how compatible Elena and Tseng are?"

"Oh god..." Elena said, feeling a blush warming her cheeks.

"How very interesting," Cait commented. "Normally, it'll cost ya. But this one I'll do for free. Here I go!"

He crossed his arms for a moment before the Mog began to swing back and forth in rhythm. The toysaurus followed a dance pattern as its arms and legs moved up and down for about a dozen seconds, stopping when a piece of paper popped out of its mouth. Cait Sith stretched his arm forward and grabbed the paper.

"Elena, this one's yours to read!" he chirped, leaning towards her seat.

She crossed her arms and looked away. "I don't want it."

"Don't want to know your fortune? Huh... then I'll tell ya!"

"...What's it say?" Rude asked.

"Oh no... this isn't good," Cait murmured in a sad voice. He buried his face in his paws, dejected, only to reveal a smile four seconds later. "I'm just kidding! Elena and Tseng are perfect for each other! They have a great future!"

Clearly embarrassed, Elena smacked her forehead and ran her fingers down her hair. "Good to know we make a good team..."

"You like Tseng," Rude said again, grinning all the while. But this time, it was Elena who ignored him.

* * *

As the Turks drew closer to their destination, they became more and more convinced that Sephiroth was there. The _Jenova Tracker_ was beeping like crazy... but if it was truly detecting Sephiroth, Elena thought they would have received reports by now. The Saucer was swarming with tourists at this time of year and securely guarded by Shinra patrolmen. Dio, the owner of the amusement park, had also been notified about the whole situation.

Built over the ruins of Corel, the Gold Saucer was a world-famous tourist attraction divided into seven branches: Event Square, Speed Square, Round Square, Ghost Square, Battle Square, Wonder Square, and Chocobo Square. At the very center of the amusement park was its ring-shaped terminal floor, from which every Square could be accessed. The terminal floor was illuminated by a combination of neon and Mako, decorating it with ever-changing colors of a rainbow.

"It's been so long since the last time I was here," Elena reflected, mesmerized by the surrounding bright colors.

"I come here often," Rude replied, looking at the 'Chocobo Square' sign. "I watch the races."

"Ah, so you're one of _those_ guys," she said with a sneer. "I'm guessing Reno also likes to watch?"

"No."

"So you—ah!"

"Well, Rude! Well, Elena!" Cait Sith interrupted, jumping in front of them. "I bid you farewell."

Elena watched in confusion as Cait hopped towards the portal to Wonder Square. "What a weird little guy..."

Rude examined the _Jenova Tracker_. "We'll split up here," he commanded, pointing to the rightmost portals. "I'm going to Chocobo Square to speak with Dio. You follow wherever the tracker takes you."

"Uh... are you sure about this?" Elena questioned. She did not like the idea of encountering Sephiroth on her own.

"You'll be fine. Just keep your distance and let me know if anything comes up."

* * *

_100 ft... 90 ft... 80 ft... 70 ft... 60 ft... 50 ft..._

The _Jenova Tracker_ had taken her to the lobby of Battle Square.

She couldn't find Sephiroth anywhere, but what she saw left her completely befuddled. "Hey Rude... I found the target... but it doesn't look like Sephiroth to me."

It was a mysterious figure, fully covered in a black cape, slouched over and facing the ground, shaking slightly. Elena took another cautious step forward, and gasped as she heard the figure speak, "Bla... Bla... Black... Materia... need Black Materia..."

She took a few steps back and reported, "It sounds like a man. A weird, weird man. He's covered in a black cape." She could see the figure's hand, barely sticking out its sleeve. There was a tattoo of the number '1' on it.

"The... the reunion. Need... Black... Materia..."

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand," she said as she approached him again. At the same time, she was wondering why Rude hadn't gotten back to her. There were nearby witnesses who just looked on from a safe distance. _What should I do? He looks completely harmless... and I almost feel bad for him._

"Reunion..."

Unable to control her curiosity, Elena reached for the man's arm. But just as her hand touched his cloak, the figure began to soar into the air, somersaulting several times before fading out of sight. "Wha, what?!" she screamed as the crowd erupted in cheers. "Whoa, whoa, WHOA! What just happened?!"

The _Jenova Tracker_ had stopped beeping, indicating that the figure was no longer within reach. In a fit of panic, Elena sprinted out of Battle Square and headed for Chocobo Square, not bothering to stop and apologize to all the people she'd bumped into. If he wasn't going to respond to her, she might as well find him and tell him in person.

"Rude! Rude! Rude!" Elena yelled as she arrived at Chocobo Square, squeezing through an impenetrable crowd of fans and race bettors. Finding him with someone else, she stopped in her tracks and stared. She took a moment to catch her breath, her eyes narrowing at the person he was talking to. "Rude?"

It was a young, dark-haired woman—someone Elena recognized. She wore her usual attire of fighting gloves and a miniskirt, along with a sleeveless tank top that exposed her midriff. "The fuck is he doing with Tifa?" Elena pondered aloud, also realizing that Rude was without his sunglasses. His uniform was also unbuttoned, giving him a more casual appearance. Up close, he almost looked like a different man.

"I was with two other people, a guy and a girl," Tifa said. "But they just left me, and went off together..."

"And now you're here all alone?" Rude replied with a smile. "Maybe we can go watch the next Chocobo race... together?"

"Mmm," Tifa giggled at the idea. "I'd love to."

"Hmm," Rude chuckled in response. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as the sound of her PHS interrupted him.

" _Tifa, we're worried about Barret. He's not answering. Meet us at Station Square._ "

It was the voice of another woman. As Tifa spoke with Aerith, Rude pulled out his phone and realized all the messages he'd left unanswered. He looked around his surroundings... and gasped as he saw Elena standing there, her face masked with anger. _Oh shit..._

"I'm sorry..." Tifa said with a frown, "But there's an emergency. I have to go now."

Rude put on his sunglasses and walked towards the rookie. Returning to his monotone voice, he muttered, "My apologies. I got a little carried away there."

"You think this is funny?" Elena snapped. "We're on a mission here! But you... conversing with the enemy..."

"Elena—"

"You're a Turk. A professional! Do you really think this is acceptable!?"

"Calm down," he said, buttoning his uniform up. "Don't misunderstand. She didn't know I was a Turk."

"Rude... I can't believe you right now."

"Let's pretend this never happened."

"Ugghhh..." Elena groaned in frustration. "Did you even talk to Dio?"

"I did." Rude nodded and dug something out of his pocket. "He didn't see Sephiroth... but look, he gave me free GP. Let's go watch the next race."

* * *

The crowd around them cheered in excitement as the race caller announced the entrants of the race. Elena had never been fond of Chocobos, let alone Chocobo _racing_ , and the obnoxious Chocobo music in the background made her cringe. As the race caller finished, she rolled her eyes at Rude, who was clapping along and bobbing his head in anticipation. He turned to her and smiled, pointing to the flock of Chocobos lined up at the start line.

"My money's on Teioh."

"I can't believe we came all the way here for this," she said, pinching out a small sample of her cotton candy. "I mean, if we came here just to screw around, we could've at least gone to Wonder Square. Or hell, Battle Square."

"...Wonder Square doesn't sell cotton candy."

Elena stuck her tongue at him before stuffing the clump of sugar in her mouth. It was good, at least... and admittedly, she did have a bit of a sweet tooth. Rude, on the other hand, was sipping on an alcoholic beverage, whatever the hell it was. He was supposed to be leading today's mission... yet here he was, sitting back and drinking on the job.

She opened her mouth to speak again, but was cut off by the roar of the crowd. Apparently, the race was starting in a matter of seconds.

"On your mark... get set... _WARK!_ "


	19. The Battle of Gongaga

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/20**

A moment of anxiety settled upon Tseng as he guided the helicopter towards Gongaga. He'd been tasked to assist Scarlet in her search for high-density Materia, which was produced in the core of a Mako Reactor. Materia was a key resource for the Advanced Weaponry Division, as it was used to fuel many of their weapons, from Roboguards to Mako Cannons.

Tseng sighed as he overlooked the badly damaged village of Gongaga. Although the Gongaga Reactor was no longer functioning, Scarlet believed that high-density Materia could still be extracted from the leftover Mako. Disaster struck three years ago when the Reactor exploded and destroyed much of the village, and to this day, Shinra had yet to clean up the mess of the explosion.

Although they were paired up for the mission, Tseng had no respect for Scarlet just as she had none for him, as he was forever conscious of her cruel personality. It had only been two weeks since the executive meeting with the former President, and he would never forget the eagerness she'd shown at the thought of executing the Turks. He was aware that she still wanted the Turks killed one day, but it wasn't going to happen anytime soon with Rufus in charge.

She wasn't happy about the presidency, either. The flight to Gongaga had been an awkward one, as she had expressed her frustration with the company.

"The world is ruled by Shinra, the most dominant force in history," she said. "The late President Shinra was the mastermind behind everything. He governed the business inside and out, branched out all the divisions, and had the mastery of leading first-class people such as myself. Tell me, Tseng, how did we defeat Wutai so easily?"

"Among many things, we had Sephiroth on our side," he answered quickly.

"Please," she snorted, looking scornfully at him. "We had everything. Superior military _and_ weaponry. Hojo created Sephiroth, Heidegger mobilized the Army, and I built the weapons. Behind it all, the President oversaw the War. Wutai was strong, but they went down easily because of his excellence."

"..."

"And fifteen years later, the President is dead and we find ourselves _against_ Sephiroth. Who do we have to lead us now?"

"..."

"That's right, Rufus. Thirty-year-old Rufus. A _boy_ who's had everything handed to him since the day he was born. A _boy_ who supported Avalanche at one point in his pathetic life. That traitor! What does he know of diplomacy, and anything that made Shinra so powerful in the first place?"

"..."

"Hojo's gone, Veld's gone, and Heidegger's turned into an idiot. The new President should have been _me_. So what if Rufus was Vice President? All he did was stay in Junon feeding his face!"

"...Ma'am," Tseng finally spoke, careful to voice his disagreement. "Rufus is young and inexperienced, but he needs this chance to prove himself. We'll see where he takes us."

Scarlet sighed. "Fine. Just know that when he screws up, I'll be the first in line to slap him out of presidency."

* * *

Frustration aside, the Turks and Shinra Executives were pleased that Reeve had successfully joined Avalanche through Cait Sith. Apparently, Cait was welcomed to the group without anyone even questioning his identity. It was perfect timing considering that Reno had recovered from his injuries. Hungry for retribution, he looked forward to a fair fight with Rude by his side.

The Investigation Unit had reported that Sephiroth had gone somewhere towards Gongaga, while Reeve had told the Turks that Avalanche was also headed south. With the _Jenova Tracker_ confirming Jenova's presence, Elena had been tasked to search the area while acting as the middleperson between her colleagues and superior. Her strange encounter with the black-caped man had created speculation about the Jenova Reunion Theory, and because so little was known about the theory, Rufus was now working on getting Professor Hojo to return to Shinra.

" _Reno! Avalanche has split into two groups,_ " Reeve's voice came over the phone. " _Cloud could be coming your way with the girls._ "

"Well then." The redhead rubbed his hands in anticipation. "Sounds like we're settling this sooner than I thought." He and Rude were walking down the narrow paths of the Gongaga Forest, counting on Reeve to keep them updated. "Best case scenario."

"You're still outnumbered," Elena said, frowning in worry for her colleagues. She'd spotted them in the forest and was tagging along for the moment. "You guys sure you don't need me?"

"Absolutely positive." Reno pulled out his newly upgraded EMR. With this weapon, he was confident that they would win easily. "We don't need your help."

"You didn't even bring any grenades," Rude pointed out as he knocked down a tree out of boredom. "Not worth the risk getting involved."

"Yeah, check this baby out!" Reno exclaimed, pointing his EMR at a nearby tree. A blue, scorching light fired out of his EMR, engulfing the broken tree in flames. "I call that _Turk Light_. It beats Rude's _Grand Spark_ by a country mile."

"Impressive," Elena commented. At that moment, the tracker began to vibrate in her hand. "Well then! I shall leave you two to your work."

Reno smiled as he watched Elena take a sharp right at the fork. "I've seen her fight. We did hand-to-hand combat that day," he told Rude, referring to the time they trained together. "It was embarrassing. She'd be nothing but a liability."

Rude nodded. "Without any weapons... I agree."

"Yesterday, she told me how she felt working with you." Reno decided to change the subject. "And there was one thing she just wouldn't admit..."

"The person she likes?" the baldhead guessed.

The redhead rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah... instead, she told me that you told her who _you_ like."

Rude froze for a few seconds. "Did I really?"

"Come on." Reno rolled his eyes. "You tell her but not me?"

"..."

Silence settled in the forest as Rude began to walk away uncomfortably. Reno simply followed the man, determined to find out the person he liked. "Hey Rude. Who do you like?"

"..."

"What are you getting so embarrassed about?" he teased again, tugging his elbow. "Come on? Who do you like?"

Rude stopped and sighed. It was pointless to keep the secret any longer. "Tifa..."

"Tifa?!" Reno gasped. "That's a tough one... but poor Elena. She... you..."

He shook his head. "No, she likes Tseng."

"I never knew that! But Tseng likes that Ancient."

Meanwhile, Elena had returned to the fork, eavesdropping on their conversation. Three travelers stood in front of her, one male and two females, and it appeared as though they were deciding which path to take. "What are they talking about?" the young man spoke.

"It's so stupid!" she exclaimed, mistakenly thinking that he was talking to her. "They always talk about who they like or don't like. But Tseng is different."

"...?"

When the three turned to face her, she immediately recognized the man's spiky blond hair and SOLDIER uniform. "Ah! Oh no!" she gasped, sprinting past them and towards Reno and Rude. "They're here! They're really here!"

"Hmm... then it's time," Reno responded in a leisurely manner. "Rude, don't go easy on them even though they're girls."

"...Don't worry," Rude replied calmly. "I'll do my job."

"Then we're counting on you. I'll report to Tseng!" Elena saluted them before running off again.

And there was Cloud Strife, who burst into the scene alongside Tifa and Aerith. Visibly annoyed, he drew his broadsword against his opponents. Reno and Rude stood side-by-side, waiting for them to get closer. "Speak of the devil..." Rude whispered as he looked at Tifa.

"It's been a while," Reno greeted as he pulled out his EMR. "Payback time for what you did in Sector 7."

Cloud glared at him and growled, "Out of our way."

"How did you know we were headed this way?" Tifa asked.

Ignoring her, Reno simply shook his head in disgust. "I don't like being taken for a fool..."

"That's as far as you go," Rude added, and felt the adrenaline kick in.

Reno wasted no time charging at Cloud, surprising him with a hard slap across the face with his EMR. Cloud staggered for a moment, allowing Rude to come through with a running fist to his chest. Sparkling layers of green light engulfed the swordsman as he fell to one knee, and Rude turned to see the Ancient, flinging _Barrier_ magic towards her partner with her staff. Tifa lunged at Reno from behind, locking his arms together and trying to throw him down.

"Fire!" Rude hurled a fireball at Aerith, who began to scream and squirm as the flames caught onto her pink dress. Cloud drove him away from her, hacking and slashing as they traded shots around the battlefield. From the corner of his eye, Rude caught a glimpse of Reno fending off Tifa... whose high kick had just sent his EMR flying towards the baldhead. He slid under Cloud's sword and used his momentum to swing around a tree, retrieving the rod and tossing it in the air.

Reno jumped up and grabbed his weapon, barely dodging Cloud as he landed... only to be stabbed in the ribs by Aerith. "Arrrrggghh!" He went after the woman, striking her down with a roundhouse kick... and in the instant Cloud looked over to her, he aimed his EMR and fired _Turk Light_. Cloud dropped his sword immediately, shaking and spasming as the electricity spread all over his body. Rude, meanwhile, was desperately trying to block Tifa's kicks and punches.

"Rude!" Reno shouted as he gasped for air. "Gimme Cure!"

Just as Rude turned towards Reno, he was struck in the face by a shot of _Poison_. It was Aerith again, with her ridiculously powerful magic. "Ugh... poison... _koff koff koff koff!_ Get the Ancient! Get— _koff koff koff!_ "

Unfortunately, Reno wasn't listening to his partner's calls. He had just fired _Turk Light_ at Tifa, and again at Cloud, who was already on the ground, seemingly defeated. He then ran up to the swordsman and smacked his face repeatedly for good measure, making sure he'd never recover. "Karma's a bitch, 1st Class asshole!"

"Reno!" Rude shouted again, still choking and struggling to breathe. " _Koff koff koff!_ GET THE ANCIENT!"

The redhead finally looked up, and with a huge smirk, pointed his weapon at Aerith. Before the Ancient could react, his _Turk Light_ had already pierced through her _Barrier_ , pounding her hard upon impact and sending her crashing to the ground. "Finish her!" Reno commanded. "It's all you, man!"

Rude darted forward for the knockout blow, only to freeze as Tifa stopped in front of him, shielding Aerith with her body. The baldhead could have hit Tifa instead... but he didn't. Instead, he just stood there over the two women, not moving.

"What are you doing?!" Reno hollered furiously. "GET HER!"

"..."

Rude's hesitation allowed Tifa to pick him up for a suplex, crushing his back onto a sharp rock. Reno watched in horror as his partner writhed in pain, unaware that something was fast approaching him. The next thing he knew, the cursed flames of _Fire_ magic surrounded his body.

"Ah! Get it off me! Get it off!" Reno wailed, spinning backwards and crashing into a tree. His eyes widened as he realized the _Fire_ magic had come from Cloud. The bastard swordsman was on his feet again, dashing towards Reno with breakneck speed, his sword glowing a violent rage of blue. In a desperate attempt to save himself, Reno backflipped into the air and over a high branch, hoping to avoid as much steel as possible. Cloud backed away as the tree came crashing down, giving the redhead space to recover.

He looked down and saw blood, dripping onto his shoes. Reno considered himself lucky. His outer thigh had been cut, but it could have been so much worse.

Badly weakened, Reno stumbled towards Rude, who was struggling to get up. They looked at Cloud for a moment, and found Tifa and Aerith standing behind him. Seeing their weapons still raised, Reno realized how pointless it would be to keep fighting. They were outnumbered three-to-two, and significantly outmatched.

"We may be retreating," he said, checking the time on his watch. "But we're still victorious."

As he ran off, Rude turned around and followed, choosing to walk instead. _N_ _ever underestimate these guys again..._

* * *

Scarlet and Tseng hopped off the helicopter and walked towards the center of the ruined Gongaga Reactor. What a mess... there was so much rubble everywhere, and the humid air was filled with stagnant Mako. Tseng silently cursed to himself as he realized he should have brought filter masks, but Scarlet didn't seem bothered by it. As he trudged behind her, he wondered if she'd ever considered dressing more appropriately, noting her high heels and red satin dress.

"Hmph! This isn't any good either," Scarlet rasped as she examined one of the malfunctioned Mako valves. With a bare hand, she dug out a piece of crystallized Mako and held it close to her eyes. "You only get junky Materia from junky Reactors. This Reactor's a failure. What I'm looking for is big, large, _Huge_ Materia. You seen any?"

"...No, I haven't seen it," Tseng replied as she opened the hatch of another valve. "I'll get on it right away."

The Huge Materia was the rarest and most powerful type of high-density Materia, being three hundred times more dense than normal Materia. Shinra's most prized Mako Cannon, the Sister Ray, was powered by the Huge Materia.

"Please. We could make the ultimate weapon if we only had some," Scarlet said, grinning at the possibility.

"I just can't wait."

"With Hojo gone," she continued, "Weapon Development's been getting a bigger budget."

"I envy them."

Clearly disappointed, Scarlet closed the valve shut and returned to Tseng. "But even if we make the perfect weapon, could that stupid Heidegger even use it?"

"..."

"Oh... sorry! I forgot Heidegger was your boss! Kya haa haa haa!"

Tseng remained silent as she continued laughing. He couldn't decide whose laugh was more irritating: Scarlet's or Heidegger's.

Scarlet scowled as she walked past him, pointing to the helicopter. "Let's go!"


	20. New Developments

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/21**

"Fucking Avalanche scum..."

For most of the day, Reno was lying on the sofa in his office. His bare legs were stretched out on a footstool, with a small pouch of ice on his bruised right thigh. He didn't know why it was hurting again; the pain had subdued the night before and his doctor had told him it would start healing in less than a day. Twenty-one hours later, the bruise had only expanded in size and was still throbbing with burning pain. Even Rude found it odd—at first, he had thought that Reno was simply faking it as an excuse to have Elena do his paperwork. But the longer the redhead stayed there, seated rather uncomfortably on the sofa, the more his concern grew for him.

"Still hurting?" This time, it was Elena who walked in to check on him. "Let me take a closer look."

"Go away."

She turned towards the door to leave, but changed her mind. "None of this would have happened if you let me fight."

"Heh," Reno sneered. "You would've had all of us killed."

Elena marched up to him, her eyes suddenly flaring with anger. "Why do you always underestimate me?! You've seen me fight. You _know_ I can kick ass. At the very least I would have helped even the odds."

"...We only lost because Rude was too scared to hit Tifa."

Just as the words left Reno's mouth, Rude entered the room. "Really? Rude!" Elena snarled at him. "Is that true?"

"My apologies."

"Why would you do such a thing?"

" _Fuck_ , man..." Reno cursed. "What do you like about her anyway? Just 'cause she's hot?"

"I..." Rude stuttered, his voice quickly trailing off into silence.

"I expected better of you, Rude." Elena was still glaring at him. "Poor Reno, having to fight all alone again. You better make it up to him."

"Already did," Rude corrected her. "I got the Chief to approve our vacation tomorrow."

"...Huh?"

"Vacation," Reno said. "A one-day vacation. Whoop-de-fucking-do."

"Oh, that's nice..." Elena commented, calmly at first... before suddenly snapping, "Wait, did you say _tomorrow_?"

"Technically, yes," Rude confirmed. "But our vacation actually takes place on the twenty-third. Depends on the time zone. I guess."

"Time zone...? Where are you going? Just the two of you?"

"Calm down, sheesh," Reno groaned loudly as he sat up. "What's with all the questions?"

"I'm just surprised, is all," Elena mumbled a silent apology. "I didn't know you guys had a vacation coming up. You guys never tell me anything."

Rude shrugged. "It's nothing special."

"You should thank us," Reno said cheekily. "Without us, you'll have Tseng all to yourself. Ahahahaha!"

* * *

Tseng looked at his watch as he walked up the stairs to the Presidential Office. It was already past three... which meant he'd spent six hours in the research library on Floor 62. Fortunately, during all that time, he'd found something he could actually report to Rufus, who had grown a bit impatient with the lack of developments.

"Come in."

He stepped boldly into the room, nodding to his superior when they made eye contact. The President was accompanied by a man seated across from him, his back turned towards the approaching Turk. The man was Palmer, Shinra Executive and Head of Space and Aeronautics.

"How is everything?" Rufus asked.

"President," Tseng called as he sat next to Palmer. "Mission with Scarlet is on hold... but I'm here to bring you word of the black-caped man."

"Sephiroth..." Palmer gulped anxiously. "Was that him in the Gold Saucer?"

Rufus ignored the obese Executive and looked at the Turk. "Is he searching for the Promised Land?"

"As of now, we're not completely sure," Tseng replied while shaking his head. "But he's searching for another thing... the Black Materia."

"...Black Materia?"

"A Materia that has existed since the time of the Cetra, from two thousand years ago..." he explained. "According to Professor Gast, it had been sealed away by the Cetra, somewhere deep inside the Temple of the Ancients."

"What does the Materia do, exactly?" Rufus queried, his eyes beaming with curiosity. "It must possess incredible power if it had to be sealed away."

"I have yet to figure that out. My research is still ongoing."

"Hey-hey! I'll be right back!" Palmer blurted out, kicking his seat back and showing Tseng his empty teacup. "I need a sweet tea refill!"

Rufus frowned as the man waddled out of his office. He then turned to Tseng and gazed at him for a moment, evaluating the situation in silence. "Whatever it is, we can't let Sephiroth get it. You mentioned the Temple of the Ancients... could that possibly be the Promised Land?"

"Only Sephiroth and Aerith would know, as they are Cetras," Tseng answered. "We may need Aerith after all... so she can show us the way to the Promised Land... and the way to Sephiroth. This time, we should probably leave Hojo out of it."

"Tseng," Rufus called out.

"Sir?"

"She is not that important. The only way to find out is to find out yourself. Investigate the Temple of the Ancients."

"Yes sir," Tseng said, frowning slightly. "The Temple is located in the Woodlands Area. We would like to get on it right away; however, Reno and Rude have the next two days off. In the meantime, I still have a lot to research on the Black Materia before a physical investigation can be set in motion."

Rufus let out a sigh of concern. "What about Elena?"

"She's going with them."

"Hmph... fine. For now, I'll let Heidegger decide whatever he has planned for you."

"Of course, sir. Any word on Hojo?"

"He wants to return to Shinra, but only for the opportunity of proving his Jenova Reunion Theory."

"I see..." Tseng paused as he glanced at his notes. "That is all I have to report for now. There are still many things we don't know."

"Return to your work."

"Yes sir."

With a salute, he stood up and stepped out, closing the door behind him. Checking his PHS, he found that someone had left him a voice message.

It was Heidegger. " _There's been a development. Rumors of Don Corneo circulating in Wutai Village. Send your Turks there immediately and arrest him._ "

"What..." Tseng groaned as he closed his PHS. With Cloud and Sephiroth on the loose... now was hardly the time to worry about Corneo.

He thought about Wutai Village... and then remembered what Reno had told him. His subordinates were headed to Wutai for their vacation.


	21. Turks' Day Off

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/23, 9:05—12:25**

It was a beautiful morning in Wutai Village. The air was clear and hot without a hint of breeze, soothed by sunlight creeping above the Da Chao mountains. The Leviathan River flowed through the village, splitting into smaller streams beneath the tiny footbridges. Merchants prepared to open up shop as a gong was struck in the town square, quickly filling with locals and tourists.

Ever since Shinra won the Wutai War in εγλ 0000, the once-independent nation of Wutai had gradually diminished into a tourist town. Now praised for its history and culture, it was a perfect vacation spot for Reno and Rude... even if their primary interests consisted of just eating and drinking. Their day off could not have come at a better time, after all the hard work put in from searching for Sephiroth and battling Avalanche.

Neither of them had expected Elena to come along. Tseng had sent her off to join them, as he didn't need her help with anything and she was too inexperienced for independent assignments. She would benefit a lot more simply by spending time with her two colleagues.

The day had barely started and the Turks were already off to eat and drink. Reno and Rude led the way, laughing and cracking jokes with each other while Elena trudged behind. Despite his leg injury, Reno seemed pretty excited about what was coming up.

"Turtle's Paradise," he said, looking at the building ahead. "Number one pub in Wutai. Let's have some fun."

Rude grinned. "I can't wait."

Elena walked up to them. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Don't forget that the company wants us to look for Corneo."

"I already told you," Reno responded, "Today's our day off. The Army will track him down."

"We should still prepare ourselves, in case we find him. Let's keep it low on the alcohol."

Clearly ignored, Elena turned to Rude for his response, but he obviously had nothing to say. Apparently, her colleagues had waited a long time to revisit Turtle's Paradise, and they especially looked forward to trying the new beverages. Located in the heart of Wutai Village, the pub was globally renowned not only for its drinks, but also for its great food and lively atmosphere.

Arriving to their destination, the Turks found two Shinra troopers by the front entrance. "Troops are patrolling this area," Rude pointed out.

"Just ignore them," Reno said.

But since they had their Turk uniforms on, the troopers were able to recognize them easily. "Hey... you're the Turks! Didn't expect to see you here."

Reno pushed the door open and walked in. Rude followed close behind, but Elena stopped and greeted them. "Yes, this is Elena of the Turks. Any update on Corneo?"

"No ma'am, nothing yet. But you guys are gonna to eat here, right? Then we'll know where to find you if anything comes up."

"Yes, please let us know. We're just taking a short break here."

_Short_. She had no idea how long her colleagues were planning to stay. When she joined them at their table, she was greeted by two dirty looks.

"Why didn't you just ignore them?" Reno asked. "They can't be bothering us during this time."

"I'm sorry," she muttered, "But we can't let Corneo get away. You even told Heidegger that we'll do our job..."

"Heheheh... and Heidi also knows that we have the day off. And even if we didn't, let's be honest here: he doesn't give a shit about anything."

"Of course he gives a shit," she snapped back at him. "Reno, he's our boss!"

"...No, he's a fuckin' idiot," he replied, surprising her with such words. He then leaned across the table and handed her the menu. "Here. We're already getting one of everything, but feel free to choose what you'd like for yourself."

"Everything?!" Elena exclaimed. She looked over to Rude and saw him checking off every item on the menu. "Seriously?"

* * *

It was 11:30 AM.

Elena belched as the tenth round of drinks was brought to the table. She had given up trying to stop Reno and Rude at this point. She'd forced herself to stop drinking and was now working on the leftovers, but it was an endless task as the server was _still_ coming to the table with food. Although it came in small plates, there were at least fifty of them, and it surprised her that she'd probably eaten twice as much as Reno and Rude.

"Drink, Rude! How long have we been a team...?" Reno garbled as he handed his partner a full glass of lager. "There have been hard times being a Turk, but all in all, I'm glad I did it. I even got to meet a bunch of wing nuts like you."

"To the Turks..." Rude raised his glass up. "To Reno... cheers!"

Reno slammed his glass on the table after a big gulp. "Man, I wish Tseng was here!" He looked at Elena. "You wish he was here too because you like him... and that's okay! I mean, you may be ten years younger than him, but Tseng... is a wonderful man. He's one of the coolest dudes _ever_... but sometimes I wish he talked more, y'know? And sorry to break it to you, but I think he has feelings for that Ancient chick, whatever her name was, I forget..."

"Aerith," Rude slurred, and Elena got up from her seat. "Hey! Where are you going?!"

She ignored him angrily and headed for the washroom. _I don't need to hear any of this..._

"Her name's Aerith?" Reno turned back to Rude. "Or Aeris? With an 's' or a 'th'?"

"Spelling is hard!" Rude spluttered.

Reno rolled his eyes and scratched the back of his head. "Why does Aerith sound like a name for people with a lisp?!"

"What a stupid name!" Rude shouted in agreement. "I think we should call Tseng and ask what he thinks..."

But before he could do anything stupid, two troopers rushed inside and stopped at their table. "Sirs!"

"Lookie here," Reno said. "What do you want?"

"We got a report that Avalanche is nearing Wutai Village. They stormed past Fort Tamblin earlier and wounded three of our soldiers."

"Hmm... Avalanche again..." Pausing momentarily, Reno leaned back on his chair and took another gulp of beer. "We'll get on it right away. Now leave us alone!"

"Yes sir, thank you."

Elena, meanwhile, was returning from the washroom when she spotted the troopers at the table. She walked back to the table in a hurry, but the troopers had already turned away and left. "What was that all about?" she asked. "It's about Corneo, right?"

For a long time, Elena received no response. She marched up to Reno and glared at him. After another few seconds, Reno turned to her with a surprised look. "Elena! You're back."

She put her hands on her hips. "I don't accept that for an answer! I'm going outside to ask."

"No, Elena! Don't!" he shouted, leaning over and grabbing her wrist. She fell back as he pulled her forcefully to his lap. "You're not going anywhere."

"Reno!" she yelped, only to jump wildly as he prodded her sides. "Aah! H-hey! What's your problem?!"

It was meant to be playful, but she did _not_ like it one bit. Reno was clearly amused by her reaction. "So feisty. You're adorable, you know that?"

"Sit down," Rude demanded, slamming his fists on the table. "We have more drinks coming."

* * *

It was 12:00 PM.

At long last, the food had stopped coming. There were plates everywhere, finished and unfinished, some not even touched, but no one cared. It didn't stop Reno and Rude from ordering more drinks, and even Elena had joined in after giving up on finishing the food. She was starting to feel tipsy after Reno had encouraged her to keep drinking.

Fortunately for her, their table was near the front and she was the one facing the door. So when Cloud Strife of all people walked in, alongside two other men, she didn't hesitate. She jumped up from her seat to confront them, readying herself for an all-out brawl. "Y-you!? How did you get here...?"

Cloud glanced at her blankly before recognizing Reno and Rude. "The Turks are here..."

"Never mind that," Elena kept talking, "I guess it's fate that brought us together. Get ready to die!"

"What the fuck?" the man behind him called out. He was an older blond man who wielded a spear and wore goggles on his forehead.

The other man had long black hair and was dressed in a red cloak. He immediately reached for his gun, but Cloud gestured for him to lower it. "Not now, Vincent."

Elena cracked her knuckles and looked over to her colleagues, expecting them join the fight. But all she saw was Rude taking a sip of his beer and Reno smacking his forehead.

"Elena, you talk too much," Reno muttered, his tone surprisingly calm. _We're fucking unarmed. How dumb can you get?_

"W-what?"

He looked at Cloud and threw his hands up in surrender. And with a long sigh, he turned back to Elena and raised a glass. "What are we doing way out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"We're taking our vacation and resting up from our work," she answered.

"Now our vacation is ruined."

"B-but..."

Rude burped. "Even the booze tastes bad now."

"Sorry..." Elena murmured before facing Avalanche one last time. "Hmm, you're lucky alright. Now get out of my sight! The next time we meet, I won't be so nice."

As she sat down, Cloud looked at Reno and asked, "So you're off-duty today? Is that why you didn't attack us?"

"Leave us alone, kid. You're making me sober with all your stupid questions."

"We're just looking for Yuffie. She ran off with our Materia, and—"

"Cloud, you dumbfuck!" the older man shouted. "Just leave them alone."

"But Cid—"

"Look, we don't know anyone named Yuffie," Reno roared as he signaled the server for more drinks. "Now piss off."

"Let's take our search elsewhere," Vincent said.

As soon as they left, Rude shrugged at Reno silently, keeping his thoughts to himself. _I wonder who the other two guys were? And where was Tifa?_ _Ah, who fuckin' cares. Let's enjoy this mead._

Elena, on the other hand, was still feeling the heat of embarrassment in her cheeks. _This is ridiculous. How can I mess up, again? I can't wait to leave this stupid pub._ She took another sip of her beer, only to spit it out as the front door was slammed open. This time, it was the infantrymen bursting into the scene.

"CORNEO!" they screamed, and Elena got up immediately. "So our reports were right! He _is_ here on vacation! We've finally found him! Get the Turks here for backup!"

Once again, Reno and Rude were completely unfazed. "What a drag."

"...W-what was that?" the trooper stuttered.

"Right now, we're off-duty and can't save your butts."

"We know you're off-duty, but—"

"If you knew that, then don't bother us!" Reno snapped. "Lookin' at you is makin' me sober."

"But you all have orders from headquarters to look for him too!"

Reno ignored the troopers and turned away. While Elena looked back and forth between them, Rude was simply minding his own business, sipping away his mead. The troopers glared at Reno and waited for a response, dumbfounded by their superiors' lack of discipline.

"Alright, that's _it_! We'll get him without any help from the Turks, just you see! And don't think that headquarters isn't going to hear about this!"

Elena frowned in disgust as they ran off. "Reno, do you think that was really such a good idea!?" she shouted. "I mean, is that the way a professional, a Turk should act!?"

"Elena, don't misunderstand," he replied coolly. "A pro isn't someone who sacrifices himself for his job. That's just a fool."

She turned to her other colleague. "Rude...?"

"..."

Somehow, his silence made her even more mad. "Well, I don't buy that!" she screamed, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Goodbye!"

After three hours at Turtle's Paradise, Elena stormed off in a fit of anger. Reno looked down at the table as if nothing had happened, while Rude gave a long look at the door. Neither of them cared that she might have gone after Corneo on her own.

"Relax," Reno said. "She's not a child. Let her have her way."


	22. Kidnapped

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/23, 12:30—2:05**

"WAIT! Hold up!"

The pair of troopers were reluctant to wait for Elena as she sprinted towards them. She stopped in front of them and doubled over, needing a moment to catch her breath.

They did not look impressed. "What now?"

"Turk... Turk Elena, reporting for duty..." she panted. "Corneo... where's Corneo?"

"He was spotted just outside the Head Temple. All our troops are headed there to investigate."

"Oh... splendid! Go on! Lead the way."

The rookie was bloated and intoxicated but she didn't care. Don Corneo was in town and she'd be damned if he got away or if somebody else got the job done. Despite her higher rank, she chose to follow the troopers instead, having them lead her to their destination.

The Wutai Head Temple was a shrine devoted to the worship of the Five Sacred Gods, as well as the nation's guardian deity, Leviathan. Home to the ruler of Wutai, Godo Kisaragi, the building was located on the northernmost part of the settlement, overseen by the much taller Wutai Pagoda. The Temple stood only two stories tall, but spanned over five hundred yards wide, making it the largest building of Wutai Village.

After five minutes, Elena and the troops reached their destination. "W-wait..." she gasped, "Gimme... a sec... to catch my breath..."

"Of course, ma'am. So, uh, what's the plan?"

"Phew... ah.. okay. How about we sneak in from the back?"

"Sure."

They made their way to the back, and down a staircase to the basement. Elena was unarmed with only Ice Materia in her possession, which she kept in her breast pocket. But she felt very confident—as long as the troops were there to back her up, there was no need to worry.

"We're here," Elena said as she kicked the door open. Once inside, the group ran into a fork in the corridor. It was dark and quiet, almost like a maze in a haunted house.

"Huh... which way should we go?" the trooper asked.

"We'll split up here. You two take left, I'll take right," she ordered, her voice echoing through the hallway. "If you find anything, give me a shout."

"Yes ma'am."

She ducked her head slightly and tiptoed through the hallway of empty rooms. The path split into two again, with dim light creeping from the left, above some stairs. She followed the darkness and went right... but froze as she heard the sound of whispers, not far from her. Unable to make out the conversation, Elena reached for the light switch in one room before continuing the path ahead.

Her heart suddenly racing, she reached into her pocket and touched her phone, wondering if she should call Reno and Rude. "No... I don't need them..." she murmured to herself, only to gasp as she heard footsteps behind her. When she turned around, nobody was there. "Who the hell... whoever you are, speak up!"

If the person following her was a Shinra trooper, he would have responded right away. Elena cursed silently as she thought about where to go next. She chose the room closest to her and pulled out her Ice Materia, poised to strike at a moment's notice. The room was small... with nothing but futon beds on the floor and a folding screen against the far wall. Even so, it was far roo suspicious to not investigate.

"Ah!"

Elena flinched at a sudden flash of movement, and screamed as her body was tackled to the floor. A pair of fists struck her face and she looked up to see the attacker. A girl had ambushed her.

"Materia! It's mine!" she barked while pounding her victim with elbows. She stopped as soon as the Ice Materia rolled away from Elena's grasp. Dressed in full ninja armor, the girl stood up and eyed the small orb before glaring back at the Turk. "But first, I gotta deal with Shinra."

"Yeow! Who the..." Elena groaned as she sprung to her feet. "Who the hell are you?"

"Nyuk nyuk nyuk..." the female ninja laughed as she picked up the Ice Materia. "I'm the White Rose of Wutai, Yuffie Kisaragi! I'll be taking THIS, thank you very much."

 _Yuffie?! Sounds... familiar._ Elena didn't care about her Materia, but she was _not_ going to let Yuffie get away after that. "You wanna fight me?!" she yelled. "I'll beat you up, little girl!"

"All Shinra must die!" Yuffie somersaulted away from the Turk and pulled out a shuriken.

Elena stopped, and then ducked as the weapon came flying towards her. She charged at the girl and wrestled her to the floor. "Don't mess with me!"

She didn't hesitate to punch Yuffie several times across the face. Her opponent squirmed beneath her, using her speed and small size to regain the upper hand. The girls ended up rolling out of the room and down the hallway, eventually crashing upon a staircase.

But little did Elena know, until it was too late, that two strong arms had braced around her from behind, forcing her away from Yuffie. As she was violently lifted off the ground, she tried desperately to pull free from the hold, but was left kicking wildly at thin air. A hooded man, wearing full black, had captured the Turk and held her high above his head with ease.

"H-hey! Let go of me!" she yelped, her arms and legs flailing. "You're gonna regret this!"

"Heheheh! You blonde bitch!" Yuffie chuckled as she got to her feet. "You deserve—HEY! Let go! I _said_ let go!" She too was seized from behind, by a second black-hooded man, who yanked her up on his shoulders. "Who do you think I... OW! What're you doin'...? Jerk!"

Still struggling, the next thing Elena heard was the laugh of a perverted man, fading away as she was carried upstairs.

"Ho...ho...hohi hohi hohi! I've finally got a new chicky!"

It was Don Corneo, she quickly realized, and the person carrying her was one of his lackeys. With that in mind, she kicked and squirmed and did everything in her power to break free, to no avail. The man was far too powerful and her hands were useless in the struggle, as he had twisted her arms at a painful angle over his shoulders. Unable to target his face, she lifted a knee towards her upper body and stretched a hand into her pocket, allowing her to hit the emergency button on her PHS.

"H-help! I'm, I'm being—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the man shoved a hand into her mouth, causing her to gag instead. "Shut up, will you?! Wait for the Don," he commanded angrily. "By the way, he's gonna love what's hidden underneath that little suit of yours."

Elena wondered if Reno and Rude even cared that she'd been kidnapped.

* * *

"I thought she went off to capture him, not the other way around..." Reno spluttered, his mind spinning from the alcohol. "The hell, maaaan? How does this even haaaappen?"

Rude stood up and raced for the exit. "We have to save her."

Before following him, Reno took one last gulp of mead and put down six thousand gil on the table. Rude checked his PHS to see where Elena had called from, and took a glimpse outside as he held the door open for Reno. Finally, at long last, they were out of Turtle's Paradise.

"So we goin' to the Temple?" Reno asked, seeing that Rude was pointing north.

"Yes."

"Ah, shit. That's far. We better get going."

* * *

Tseng rolled his eyes as Heidegger's voice came over the phone. " _It seems that Cloud has already made it to the village... has Reeve said anything?_ "

"No sir," he answered. "Though I'd imagine he would contact Reno or Rude instead if the situation called for it."

There was a pause on the other end, and Tseng could tell he was confused. " _Why Reno and Rude?_ "

"Reno, Rude, and Elena are in Wutai," he clarified. "Not me."

Heidegger fell silent for another breath. " _Where are you, then?_ " he asked, dumbfounded.

"Headquarters."

" _...Well I'll be damned. You go ahead and call Reno immediately._ "

"Yes sir."

* * *

Elena and Yuffie were now tied at their arms and feet. They didn't know why they had entered the mountains, but the men had no problem carrying them up the steep paths of Da Chao. It was a long climb to Da Chao's statue itself, where Elena and Yuffie were thrown to the ground, roped and chained to wooden boards, and tied to the sculpture's eyes. Elena couldn't believe how well everything was planned and how fast it all happened.

"The Don will be here soon," said one of the lackeys.

"Our job is done." The men nodded to each other before walking away, leaving the girls at the statue.

"HEY!" Yuffie shouted as she squirmed in the ropes. "Just where do you think you're goin'? Untie me this instant!"

Elena sighed, wondering if the teenage brat would ever shut up. She looked up at the sun and realized how much she was sweating inside from the heat. Yuffie's situation was better, as she wore a pair of tan shorts and a sleeveless jumper that bared her stomach. Her unusual choice of attire helped her withstand higher temperatures, although it also left her exposed to the sunlight.

"Hey," Yuffie hissed after finally quieting down. "You got friends who can come help?"

Elena wiggled her arms. "I don't know... I don't know if they care..."

"What? Aren't you one of the Turks?"

"Yeah."

"I lost my friends today," she said dejectedly. "They didn't take me kindly when I stole their Materia."

"..."

After a long silence, Elena heard her whisper, "Cloud... I'm sorry."

She froze at the mention of Cloud, and remembered seeing him at Turtle's Paradise. _He_ _was looking for the Materia thief, Yuffie. But since she hates Shinra so much, then she must be part of his group._ "Hey, um..." she called to her, "You're with Avalanche, right?"

The girl paused again, and then answered, "I was."

 _So she's our enemy..._ Elena was startled by the coincidence. "Then let me say, on behalf of the Shinra Company... fuck you."

"Fuck YOU!" Yuffie yelled, giving her a middle finger she couldn't see. "And fuck Shinra!"

* * *

Reno and Rude didn't know what to do when they reached the Wutai Head Temple. They ran around the building for several minutes, trying to find a staircase to the basement. They did manage to find a Shinra infantryman in the back, smoking a cigarette.

"Yo," Reno greeted, catching the trooper by surprise. "Corneo's on the loose. Where'd he go?"

"Oh hey. I was just... I'm sorry."

"Ugh!" he grunted in anger. "You idiot! You're sober, right? Can you say something useful?"

The trooper sighed and looked down at his boots. "I'm hiding here because there's no way I can take him and his army alone. He went off towards Da Chao just now."

Reno's eyes widened. "You serious? The mountain?"

"Yeah..."

He turned to Rude. "He probably took Elena there."

"...Elena."

"Let's go, Rude. We'll give him a taste of what the Turks can do."

They wasted no time and took off running. But their stamina depleted quickly due to the aftereffects of alcohol, and it didn't take long before they were forced to take a break. They stopped at the front entrance of the Head Temple, the tall mountains barely in view.

Reno wiped his forhead and glared at the sky. "Hmm... Corneo is good at escaping."

"...Elena," Rude responded. Breathing heavily, he looked to his left and saw Cloud and his two allies approaching them casually.

"There are two different paths up the—" Reno flinched as he noticed Cloud. "Uh, yeah. We'll split up here."

Nodding silently, Rude ran past him and out of sight.

"Uh... hello? You're just gonna leave me here, partner?" he yelled at the runaway Turk. With a lasting sigh, he shool his head and turned to Avalanche. "So... what brings you here?"

"Corneo," Cloud pointed out. "He got away."

"If he has Elena..." Reno paused, wondering why Avalanche was also looking for him. "That's going to make things a little difficult. And uh—"

"That's just beautiful!" Cid exclaimed. "That shithead's walked off with Yuffie, too!"

"And without Yuffie, there's no way we'll get our Materia back," Cloud added.

"Don't misunderstand," Reno said calmly. "We have no intention of joining you. We're only agreeing not to fight each other... for now."

Cloud turned to Cid and Vincent for a moment, and then back to Reno. "That's fine. We have no intention of cooperating with you, either. Now, uh, which direction did Corneo run off?"

"Hmm, nice attitude," Reno replied as he lifted his head towards Da Chao. "Here's a clue, it's the most obvious place."

"The mountains?"

Ignoring him, Reno took off running towards the mountain. He chuckled to himself as he ran, clearly amused that Avalanche had joined forces with the Turks. He would never have imagined this happening—not in a million years, and certainly not during his day off. _Hold on, Elena... we're coming._


	23. Fall of the Don

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/23, 14:20—19:00**

Sweat trickled down Reno's neck as he looked ahead at the tall mountain. Up close, Da Chao wasn't as big as he'd thought... but the intensity of the heat, along with the steep terrain, was not going to make climbing it any easier. He rolled up his sleeves and wondered if he should just rip off his uniform altogether.

"You're finally here. Let's split up," he told Cloud at the base of the mountain, where the path broke into two. "You do whatever it takes, but don't endanger Elena."

"Alright," Cloud replied with a shrug. Cid and Vincent were behind him.

"Don't worry," Reno assured him, "We won't do anything to hurt Yuffie."

"Let's take the left path," Cid said after spitting on the ground several times. "Tell Tifa and Aerith we're goin' left."

"In that case, I'll take right."

* * *

Rude was at the entrance of a small cave, on the upper left part of Da Chao. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he powered the light on his uniform and walked inside. Toxic fumes came to him but he pressed onward, fully determined to find his female colleague.

It didn't take long before he stopped in front of a wall of flames, preventing him from going further. The flames appeared rather fresh as they grew bigger by the minute, and it didn't seem like they had come from natural causes. Elena definitely wasn't here.

"Well... fuck this." Rude turned around and left the cave, taking his search elsewhere.

He eventually ran into another dead end. He saw two of Corneo's lackeys near the edge of a cliff, sharing a cigarette and overseeing the village. Rude thought for a moment what to do next: the men were equipped with weapon and armor while all he had was a steak knife, stolen from Turtle's Paradise. But he was still faster and stronger than the two combined, and sneak attack would be plenty enough to give him the advantage.

Wasting no time, Rude charged at Corneo's lackeys and pummeled their faces with a single fist. Their weapons went flying as the men fell over one another. One lackey proved to be more resilient as he scrambled and reached for his weapon, his eyes wide with alertness. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!"

The other took too long to recover. He was picked up by the Turk and thrown off the cliff, screaming all the way down until the impact of the ground knocked him out instantly. Rude turned to the lone lackey and approached him, taking a step forward every time he took one back.

"Stay back!" the lackey warned, pointing his lance at him. "I'm not telling you where he is."

"Care to die, then?"

The lackey swung his weapon, but missed wildly as Rude sidestepped and caught it under his arm. The Turk then shoved him against the stone wall and pulled out his knife.

"Where's Corneo?" the baldhead asked, holding the blade against his neck.

"Okay, okay! I'll tell you! Don't kill me!" he cried out. "He and the girls... are at the Da-Chao Statue...!"

For a long moment, Rude stared at the eyes of the terrified man. He then lowered the knife... only to stick it straight through his abdomen. The man gave a loud squeal of agony before collapsing to the ground, a puddle of blood forming around him. "Son of a bitch."

* * *

Elena groaned in pain from the blistering heat... and gasped as her eyes fell on Don Corneo, walking along the arm of Da-Chao. She tugged at her bonds harder as the pervert looked up from the sculpture's palm, a lecherous grin on his face.

"LET... ME... GO!" Yuffie screamed.

"Hohi hohi! Hmm!" Corneo giggled. "Delicious... scrumptious! I think I've just found a new HOBBY! Which shall it be? Hmm... hmm..."

Elena gulped as he leaned towards her for a close look. He licked his fingers and she squirmed, pulling at her bonds again.

"Should I take... HER?"

"H-hey, I'm one of the Turks!" she spoke up. "Don't think you can get away with this!"

Corneo grinned in response and turned back to Yuffie. "Or... maybe... HER?"

"Oh, GAWD!" she wailed. "If I knew this was gonna happen, I would've taken those rope lessons more seriously!"

"Hmm! I've made my choice! " Corneo chuckled as he looked back at Elena. "My companion for the night will be..."

The blonde fell dead silent as he moved his eyes up and down her body. And then, after a long dramatic pause, he pointed up at the ninja.

"...the cheerful one!"

"GROSSNESS! Don't mess with me, old man! You don't even have Materia!"

"Oooooh! And she's saucy, too!" Corneo moved his pelvis back and forth. "Wheee! Wheee!"

"Alright, that's _it_!" A voice suddenly echoed through the air. "That's as far as you go!"

"Hee-haw, what... what's goin' on?" Corneo looked around cautiously. "Who's there?"

Elena froze as a familiar figure came running into view. "Oh man! Cloud...!" Yuffie cried out. "And that old fart, Cid..."

It _was_ Cloud Strife, and his comrades, Cid and Vincent. A few seconds later, Tifa and Aerith arrived to join them. Elena wasn't expecting to be helped by anyone, but the fact that it wasn't Reno and Rude didn't surprise her. In this case, it was Avalanche... her enemy.

Corneo took a moment to recognize the swordsman. "Weeeeeell... long time no see." Elena wondered if they knew each other.

Cloud drew his sword and growled, "Don't tell me you forgot."

"You just don't get it, do you...?" Aerith added.

"Maybe God would forgive an ugly shithead like you, but I won't!" Cid cursed as he pulled out his spear. Tifa and Vincent remained silent as they observed the two captives in disgust.

"Be quiet!" Corneo shouted back. "None of you know how much I've suffered since then. It's a long story, but—"

"We don't want to hear it!" Tifa blurted out. "Just let the two go!"

Cid stepped to the front of the group. "You're gonna let the two girls go, or else I'm gonna break your arm!"

"Hmm, you guys are... serious," Corneo murmured. "Good, good... this time I'm not fooling around either. Why did you kill my little Aps? I'm gonna make you PLAY with my new pet, so you won't interfere in my search for a bride!"

With that, Corneo whistled loudly and pointed at Avalanche. "RAPPS! Come here!"

Elena had no idea what was happening until she heard a ferocious roar piercing the air. Her eyes widened as she spotted a massive dragon descending from above, its wings flapping menacingly at Avalanche. Cloud and his comrades drew their weapons and prepared for battle.

* * *

"Did you hear that?!" Reno shouted into his PHS. "That sound over the mountains... it's a dragon."

"That definitely came from the Da-Chao Statue," Rude said. "Any update on AANCHE?"

"Nope."

"Meet you there?"

"Sure."

* * *

The dragon was fast and strong, easily capable of killing a person, but it stood no chance against a group of skilled warriors in Avalanche. Badly outnumbered five-to-one, Rapps was dying before it had any chance to strike. Courtesy of Vincent, a hail of bullets had quickly pierced the dragon's wing, rendering it unable to keep its balance in the air. Cid and Tifa also pitched in with their weapons while Aerith used her magic to strengthen Cloud, who dashed forward for the killing blow.

Rapps roared one last time before crashing and rolling into the canyon below. Elena smiled weakly as Don Corneo stood frozen on the sculpture's palm, his mouth wide with shock. The five Avalanche members stalked towards him, prepared to end him once and for all.

"Wait... just wait a second!" Corneo cried out.

"SHUT UP!" Cloud yelled.

"Don't be such a poor loser, old man!" Cid added.

"Just listen to me, it won't take long," Corneo begged, throwing his hands up in surrender. "Why do you think a bad guy like me would swallow his pride and plead for his life? One, because he's ready to die... two, because he's sure to win... or three, because he's clueless?"

"Because he's ready to die," Cloud answered quickly.

Corneo paused for a moment... and smirked as he pulled something out of his jacket. "Hmm! WRONG!"

The next thing Elena knew, she was rotating! Her view of the world spun around one hundred eighty degrees, leaving her hanging upside down. "Eyaaaah!"

Yuffie also let out a shriek, but all Elena could focus on was the bottom of the mountain. Blood rushed to her head as she looked at Corneo and heard him speak again. "If I push this button... they'll fall and we'll have SQUASHED TOMATOES!"

Cloud immediately lowered his sword. "Damn...!"

Corneo then winked at Tifa, who could only say, "Coward!"

"Now, give me your women too!" he demanded with a spontaneous dance. "Hahahaha! I guess I have the last laugh! Hee-haw!"

"...No, that would be us."

"What... what's goin' on!? Who's there?"

 _What was that?_ Elena froze at the familiar voice... and to her left, she could see a shadow by the sculpture's elbow, approaching the group. _No... it can't be._

But it was.

"...The Turks?!" Corneo gasped.

Elena's eyes flew wide as Reno emerged from the shadows. _Oh my god. They hadn't abandoned me after all._

Reno didn't look at her. His eyes were locked on Corneo as he marched towards him, passing every Avalanche member without acknowledging them. "You knew this was gonna happen ever since you leaked that secret," he said coldly. "We're going to take care of you... personally."

 _Secret?_ Elena didn't know what he was referring to, but she was pleasantly surprised by his serious tone. For once, Reno was dead serious.

"DAMMIT!" Corneo screamed. "Then they're all comin' with me!" He held his thumb above the button, only to wobble backwards as a knife struck his arm. "Ugh!" The device dropped and he tripped over the loose rocks. In a dramatic turn of events, Corneo was the one clinging for his life, holding on to the ledge with one hand.

Reno looked over to his partner, who had appeared from the other side. "Good timing, Rude."

The baldhead nodded. "Let's get to work."

Elena could only watch as Reno made his way to Da Chao's thumb, where Corneo was clinging onto. He proceeded to step on his fingers so he wouldn't fall. "Alright, Corneo. This'll be over quick, so listen up," he spoke, looking down at his frightened face. "Why do you think we went through all the trouble of teaming up with those guys to get you...?"

Rude took a peek at Tifa. It was true, and the thought of it being true was crazy. The Turks had actually teamed up with Avalanche.

Reno held up his hand and smirked. "One, because we're ready to die... two, because we're sure to win... or three, because we're clueless."

Corneo gulped. "Two... number two?"

The redhead shook his head. "All wrong." And with a cruel smile, he began grinding his foot into Corneo's hand.

"No...! Wait, st—"

He stepped back and watched Corneo fall off the ledge. The satisfying sound of his scream was heard clearly by everyone as he hit the ground with a devastating thud. After a few seconds, Reno smiled again and said, "The correct answer was..."

"...because it's our job," Rude finished.

"Oh, thank you very much!" Elena cried out. "I never thought you'd come..."

Reno turned to her and sighed. "Elena, don't act so weak. You're a Turk!"

"Y-yes sir!"

He then turned to Avalanche, who all looked back without saying anything. An awkward silence fell over the two groups before it was broken by Cid. "I guess... thanks for today."

Rude shrugged and continued to gaze at Tifa, who was still staring at Reno. Moments later, he heard the sound of Reno's phone.

"Yes... this is Reno..." he answered. "Yes, yes... I'll get on it right away."

He slammed his PHS shut and shook his head. Elena looked on curiously as she wondered if Tseng had called him. "Was that the company?" she asked.

"Yeah, they want us to find Cloud..." Reno confirmed before turning to Avalanche. Cloud, Vincent, and Tifa reached for their weapons, while Aerith was smiling and Cid was busy lighting up a cigarette.

"Are we on...?" Rude muttered, taking a cautious step forward.

Reno looked up at the sun and wiped his forehead. "No, today's our day off."

He nodded to Cloud silently, who surprisingly nodded back in a show of gratitude. Rude looked at Elena, who responded by wiggling her arms and legs. Silence fell once again as everything finally settled down, only for Yuffie to start screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Hey, who cares about that?! Get... me... DOWN...!"

* * *

The world spun around Elena as she was freed from her bonds. She didn't care how weak it made her look, but the first thing she did was cry in Rude's shoulder. The baldhead carried her with ease as he climbed down the statue, before releasing her in front of Reno.

Elena took a dozen deep breaths before a dry cough made her realize how dehydrated she was. She waved at Avalanche before turning to Reno and Rude, her face as red as a beet.

"I'm sorry, I screwed up..." she whimpered.

"Let's go back to the hotel," Reno said, glaring down at her. "We'll talk about this bullshit later."

Rude handed her a tissue, but froze as he felt a breath of movement behind him. His eyes bulged behind his shades as he came face to face with Tifa, who had one last thing to say before running off with her friends.

"Rude...?" she called out. "And Reno... thank you so much. We really, really appreciate it."

* * *

After a cold shower, Elena lied down on the bed with hands on her stomach, pillow under her head, and bare legs stretched out. She cursed to herself silently, a flurry of emotions running in her mind. She got up as soon as she heard the door open, and saw Reno and Rude storming in with full intent of badmouthing her.

"So you went after Corneo without us..." Reno began in an tense voice. He was glaring straight at her. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Maybe I shouldn't have," she replied, her voice also tense. "But you gave me no reason to believe you cared."

Reno shrugged. "Of course we care. We're Turks, Elena."

"Sure you care. You two would rather get drunk than stop a fucking rapist!"

"Elena, that's not—"

"Day off," she interrupted. "Is _that_ why you didn't do shit?"

Reno looked at Rude for a moment, and then back at Elena without saying a word.

"So you guys _don't_ care," she said. "If I hadn't left the restaurant, you wouldn't have done anything. Is that it?"

"Why didn't you ask why we weren't going?"

"I had no reason to believe you'd tell me!" she yelled. "And if you thought what I did was stupid, then you should have done something about it..."

"But we did," Reno replied, again shrugging his shoulders. "Well, _after_ you fucked up."

"I don't get why you're so angry," Rude added. "You're safe, and that's all what matters."

This time, Elena said nothing, and instead took a moment to think things over. Why _was_ she angry at them, anyway? They had acted so unprofessional, so uncaring towards her, but she was the one that got herself nearly killed. In the end, they were the ones who rescued her. While she had every right to scold them for never taking anything seriously, she began to realize that her anger should be directed at herself, not them.

"Look... I'm sorry," Elena murmured, her voice filled with sorrow. She looked down at her feet and sighed. "It's just... no matter what I do, I always seem to mess up..."

"Elena..." Reno placed a hand on her arm. "It's over. Corneo's finished."

Rude took a step forward. "It's not that we don't care about you. But when you left the restaurant, we stayed. You didn't know what you were thinking at that time... but neither did we."

"And for that, we're sorry," Reno added. "Don't worry about your mistakes. We all make 'em."

Elena blinked at their words, their easy tone, and apology. She looked up again, and realized she was looking at two people who didn't care—she was looking at two people who saved her life. And for that, she should be forever grateful.

"Reno... Rude..." Elena leaned forward and wrapped her arms around them. She felt the warmth of being squeezed against Reno's chest, her back pressed firmly against Rude's. "I know you care."

"We've been hard on you since day one," Reno murmured. "Don't misunderstand. You're a Turk, after all."

Elena squirmed slightly, and bit her lip when a hand touched her waist. The tingly sensation of fingertips, gently grazing the side of her torso, was unbearable and pleasurable at the same time. When the embrace ended, she turned around and saw Rude swapping his sunglasses, getting a clear look of his eyes for the first time.

"Let's get dinner," Reno said, looking at the time. "Who's down for Turtle's Paradise?"


	24. The Keystone

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/24**

"Let me get this straight..." Rufus said, taking a moment to read the papers on his desk. After a short pause, he faced his two subordinates. "You're telling me that the _Keystone_ is required to open the Temple's door?"

"That is correct," Reeve answered, and Tseng followed with a nod.

"And Avalanche is headed to the Gold Saucer to retrieve it?"

"Yes sir. They'll get there before us, but perhaps I can find a way to nab it."

"You must," Rufus demanded. It seemed as though Cait Sith was his only hope, if Shinra were to enter the Temple of the Ancients and claim the Black Materia. "That Keystone is the way to the Promised Land. Tseng, when will you fly to the Saucer?"

"I will go right now," Tseng said. "My ride is waiting outside."

"Hold on, Heidegger's on his way here. He may like a word with you before you go."

"Yes sir."

"In the meantime..." Rufus paused as he looked at Reeve for a moment. "Tell me more about this Vincent Valentine person."

"A former Turk, dating back to the seventies..." Tseng answered for him. "Our records have him listed as KIA for thirty years."

"Avalanche found him sleeping in a coffin in Shinra Mansion," Reeve added. "He joined the group in hopes to find Hojo, the person responsible for his presumed death."

"How interesting..." Rufus murmured. "So now they have seven in their group, including that traitor Cid Highwind."

"Eight members," Reeve corrected him.

"Who am I forgetting?"

"Yuffie Kisaragi, daughter of Godo and princess of Wutai."

"Is that so..." Rufus murmured, leaning back on his chair. "Do you have a picture of her?"

"Yes, uh—" Reeve stopped as the door crashed open, making way for the Head of Public Security, Heidegger.

"Really?" Rufus called to him with a glare. "How many times do I have to tell you? Knock before you enter."

"Sorry..." Heidegger shrugged shamelessly and sat down next to Reeve. He then leaned over to Tseng and gave him a thumbs up. "Excellent job in Wutai."

Tseng shook his head. "Sir... not me. That was Reno, Rude, and Elena."

"Gya haa haa!" Heidegger chortled before turning to his fellow Executive. "I sent Reno to kidnap the little girl, as you requested."

Reeve nodded as he stroked his beard. "She is not to be harmed."

"Sounds like the plan is all coming together," Rufus said. "If we succeed today's mission, the investigation into the Temple can begin as early as tomorrow." He paused for a second and looked at the Turk. "Tseng, you may begin."

"Yes sir." Tseng stood up and walked out.

* * *

After twelve days, Reno was back in Sector 5 for another kidnapping mission. Only this time, no ex-SOLDIER stood between him and his target, Marlene Wallace, the adopted four-year-old daughter of Barret.

She'd been saved by Aerith during the destruction of Sector 7, and taken care of ever since by Elmyra. With Avalanche growing more and more suspicious of Cait Sith, Reeve needed a backup plan to save himself from getting kicked out of the party. His plan needed a hostage... and Marlene was the perfect hostage to make it work.

Flanked by two troopers, Reno observed his surroundings as he arrived at the Gainsborough residence. There were flowers... so many of them in Aerith's garden, blooming with bright natural colors and delicate fragrance. Needless to say, it was a stark contrast to the rest of Midgar and especially the Slums.

He knocked on the door and looked behind him, making sure the troopers had their weapons lowered. The door opened after a few seconds, and he cleared his throat. "Good evening, ma'am. We're from the Administrative Research—"

"Yes, I know who you are," Elmyra cut in with a frown. "You're from the Turks. I'm sorry, but Aerith isn't here anymore."

"You're mistaken, unfortunately," Reno said. "We didn't come for Aerith." He looked over her shoulder and saw the girl at a table, drawing on some papers. "We came for—"

"Marlene?!" Elmyra gasped. "You're here to take Marlene? You are _not_ taking Marlene anywhere."

She tried to close the door on him, but his foot shot inwards to intercept her. Reno smiled as he forced himself inside, taking a step forward every time she took one back. The troopers followed as Elmyra reached for her broomstick and screamed, "No... NO! Get out!"

"Ms. Gainsborough? What's going on?"

"RUN, Marlene!"

The girl ran upstairs, but instead of going after her, Reno pointed his EMR at Elmyra and fired. She collapsed to the ground hard, instantly paralyzed by the shock waves spreading through her body. Reno turned to the troops and commanded, "Take them both!"

* * *

Several hours later, Tseng found himself in the Gold Saucer Area, not far from his destination. Reeve had kept him updated throughout the flight, last reporting that Avalanche had found the Keystone in Battle Square. They were now planning to stay the night in Ghost Square... and after the Keystone was left behind in their room, there was no better time for Cait Sith to make his move.

" _I have the Keystone now..._ " Reeve's voice came over the helicopter radio. " _Where are you?_ "

"We're crossing the desert," Tseng reported. "Be there in ten minutes."

" _Please hurry. Cait has no pockets to hide it. And his Mog is too big to hide itself._ "

Tseng couldn't help but wonder how Reeve was able to control Cait Sith. All he knew was that Reeve could see and speak through the robot, which could also function on autopilot. There wasn't just one Cait Sith, either—Reeve had several copies in his storage and was perfectly adept at controlling all of them simultaneously. But Tseng, despite his curiosity, had never bothered to ask Reeve how he did it.

Eventually, his musings were interrupted by the man's voice. " _Tseng, this is bad!_ _They've caught me red-handed. I'm running from them as we speak._ "

"We're almost there," Tseng said.

" _Head for Chocobo Square. I'll be there by the entrance._ "

"Roger," Tseng said before instructing his co-pilot, "Chocobo Square. But do not land."

Leaving his seat, he walked onto the chopper's side platform and looked ahead. Fireworks sparkled the night sky, its colors blending in nicely with countless balloons, soaring towards the stars. Blaring music filled his ears as the chopper descended into Chocobo territory, indicated by the now-visible 'Chocobo Racing' sign.

" _I'm comin' down!_ "

At the entrance, Tseng spotted Cait Sith hopping down the stairs, pursued by Cloud and Aerith. The chopper stopped in the air, directly above the base of the stairs as it waited for Cait Sith, the small artifact grasped in his paw. When the time came, Tseng leaned against the railing and held his hand out.

"Here! The Keystone!" Cait shouted, tossing it high towards the Turk.

"Well done." Tseng said, impressed by his perfect aim. The chopper turned around and flew back towards the desert.

Returning to his seat, he heard Reeve's voice over the radio, but quickly realized that he wasn't speaking to him. Reeve was speaking to Cloud and Aerith through Cait Sith, without realizing that his voice was being transmitted over. " _Yes, I was a spy. I was hired by the Shinra..._ "

Or maybe he _wanted_ Tseng to listen to what he had to say.

" _...We're not entirely enemies. Something bothers me. I think it's your way of life. You don't get paid. You don't get praised. Yet, you still risk your lives and continue on with your journey. Seeing that makes me... it just makes me think about my life..."_


	25. Temple of the Ancients

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/25, 12:00—14:45**

It was a three-hour flight from Midgar to the Temple of the Ancients, directly east of Gongaga and south of Junon. The Temple was situated on the eastern portion of the southern island, surrounded by a dense, thick forest. Due to the vast number of evergreen trees, the island was known as the Woodlands Area.

Three helicopters were parked along the coastline, where base camp was set up not far from the Temple. The investigation was one that could easily carry on overnight, so Tseng had picked a spot where the signal was strong enough to reach headquarters. He was accompanied by Elena, SOLDIER 1st Class Luxiere, two 2nd Class SOLDIERs, and six members from the Investigation Unit. The group followed their leader as they journeyed through the forest, running into three black-caped men along the way.

"The Temple of the Ancients," Tseng said as he observed the building ahead. "This could be the Promised Land we're searching for. Our priority is to find the Black Materia before Sephiroth."

The Temple was a massive ziggurat structure of yellowed stone, barricaded by a fifty-foot-high wall with a tall staircase leading to the main entrance. It was evident that the building was thousands of years old and had no visitors since the time of the Cetra. Tseng believed that no person, not even the Cetra, could enter the Temple without the Keystone.

At the top of the stairs, Tseng pulled out the Keystone and walked into the first room. He took a moment to observe the murals on the side walls, before finding a stone altar in the center. Nothing else stood out in the room besides a few torches behind the altar.

"Damn... this place is already giving me the creeps," Luxiere said. "The next time I see someone in a black cape, I won't hesitate to _Chain-Slash_ him."

Tseng ignored him and examined a small sign on the altar. "Ancient's writing." Below it, he found a small circular hole. "I assume that no one here is familiar with the Cetra language?"

"Sir?" Elena called out curiously. "Can the Keystone fit in the slot?"

"Exactly what I was thinking," he said. "But this could also be a trap, designed by the Cetra with their advanced knowledge of magic." He turned around and faced everyone. "All of you, move away from the platform before I insert the Keystone."

Following his command, Elena gasped silently as he placed the magical artifact. Tseng stepped away as the altar began to glimmer and tremble. The shaking continued for a few more seconds before the platform began to vanish, revealing a hole leading down to another room. Elena and Luxiere took a step forward and stared down the hole.

"Hehe, well then," Elena giggled as she looked up at Tseng. "Are we going to jump down?"

"Looks like it's the only way," Luxiere said. "It's only about twenty feet down. I'll go first."

The room below was nothing short of bizarre. It was a massive labyrinth of staircases and passages, twists and turns leading off in every direction. Tseng immediately counted eight levels below him and paths that led to ten more rooms. He had a feeling that the investigation was going to take a lot longer than expected.

After taking several snapshots of the amazing sight, he commanded, "We'll split up into four groups here. Elena and I will work together, while the rest of you work in threes, one SOLDIER and two investigators per group. Understood?"

"Yes sir!"

Tseng nodded. "Move out."

* * *

Reno and Rude were in Hojo's office, looking for details on the Jenova Project. Apparently, the Reunion Theory was a mystery even among the top scientists, and despite Rufus' crying efforts, it didn't seem like Hojo was interested in sharing what he knew.

"Now this is interesting," Rude said. "Jenova's cells, specifically Sephiroth's, will seek to reunite and return to the main body once separated..."

The redhead ignored the man, clearly lost in his musings as he stared down at the wrong papers. He excelled at investigation when it got physical, but staying in a confined space and flipping through pages wasn't exactly his forte. It wasn't really Rude's forte, either.

"Reno."

"Yeah?"

"Get over here."

Reno threw the book down and walked towards Rude, hoping he'd found something useful. "This better be worth it."

"The Nibelheim Incident, five years ago..." he began, "Thirty-four people including Zack Fair and Cloud Strife were injected with Sephiroth's cells. According to this paper, Hojo's plan was to turn them into Sephiroth Clones, but they turned into mindless puppets instead. The subjects were tattooed and had black cloaks put on them, before being released to the wilderness."

Reno's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "So the black-caped man..."

"...is a mindless puppet, a Sephiroth Clone," Rude finished as he handed him the paper. "So are Cloud and Zack, but they were likely deemed as failures."

He shook his head and frowned. "This is so fuckin' messed up. What's the point, anyway? If the Sephiroth Clones are just puppets..."

"Could be where the Reunion Theory comes in. Hojo predicted that they will eventually return to the main body, Sephiroth..." Rude paused as his voice faltered. "I don't understand. The experiment was conducted with the knowledge that Sephiroth is dead."

Reno shrugged cluelessly. "Eh... at least we found something. Hojo might come back anyway. We all know how much he loves his stupid experiments."

Rude shrugged back and cleared his throat. "And now... we officially know how worthless the _Jenova Tracker_ actually is. It could have been tracking a Sephiroth Clone this whole time, or even Cloud Strife."

"...Whaddaya mean, 'Cloud'?"

"Strife has Jenova cells inside him," he explained. "It's no wonder the tracker reacted to him."

Reno blinked a few times before a smile crept across his face. "That's fucked up, dude."

* * *

Tseng was beyond frustrated in the maze. He and Elena had been wandering back and forth for about two hours now, running into dead end after another. The Investigation Unit hadn't progressed either—after all this time, the Turks had only heard back from Luxiere, who had found one of the Temple's many exits. No matter where they went, they couldn't find any clues of the Black Materia.

"Elena, this is ridiculous..."

"I know what you're going to say. Another eleven dead ends?"

"Looks like it."

"Aw, don't say that. This could be our breakthrough!"

At this point, the only thing keeping Tseng from giving up was Elena's persistent encouragement. One of the corridors had led them to a circular room with twelve doorways along the circumference. Numbered from I to XII, it appeared that the doorways were represented by numbers of a clock, accessed via the clock's hands. They were rooms worth checking, but Tseng, after two hours of frustration, was almost certain that there was nothing to see. Elena thought otherwise and encouraged him to keep going, fully expecting a breakthrough in one of the rooms.

After checking XII, XI, X, IX, VIII, and VII, they moved onto VI. Elena folded her hands in prayer as Tseng pushed the door open. What they saw next left them shocked.

"Tseng, what's this? It's beautiful," Elena said, looking around the room. They had entered a mysterious chamber with ancient symbols and murals, suggesting a potentially hidden message by the Cetra. The dim lighting from the torches added a mystic aura, evoking a sense of elegance and excitement from the rookie. "Can we find the Promised Land with this?"

"I wonder..." Tseng noticed a table at the far end of the chamber. "An altar."

"This is amazing..." Elena murmured as she followed him.

They found a small replica of the Temple atop the altar. Tseng observed it in confusion, wondering if it had anything to do with the Black Materia. "Hmm..."

Without hesitation, Elena went ahead and touched the object... and the entire chamber began to shake in response. Her hand jerked back. "Ah! What happened?!"

"The Black Materia is definitely in there," Tseng declared, touching the object and causing the room to shudder again. It seemed obvious that the entire Temple had shaken—not just the room. "Must be a warning of some sort. The Black Materia must possess dangerous magic. The Ancients didn't want it taken out so easily."

Elena shrugged. "So if we take it, the entire Temple will collapse?"

"I think so, and we'll be crushed," he guessed. "There has to be a way to remove it safely..."

"But if we can't take it, then neither can Sephiroth... right?"

Ignoring her, he studied the replica for a few more seconds before looking at his watch. "The President expects a report in twenty minutes," he said. "Can you return to camp and relay our status?"

Elena nodded. "The exit is through XII, right?"

He appreciated how quick she was to follow orders. "Correct."

"Be careful, Tseng."

"Yeah..." he mumbled, calling to her again before she could run off. "Hey Elena, how about dinner after this job's over?"

Elena froze, and looked into his eyes incredulously. "Th-thank you very much. If I may be excused..."

Tseng shook his head as she took off running. He turned away from the altar and studied the murals on the wall. "Is this the Promised Land?" he asked himself. The people depicted were warring, and their villages were being burned down. It didn't look like a land of supreme happiness. "No, it can't be..."

Suddenly, he felt a flash of movement behind him. He reacted to it by turning slowly, only to have the worst of his hopes confirmed.

"Sephiroth!" Tseng called out. There had been no sound, no warning whatsoever.

The warrior stood tall and close with his seven-foot Masamune, and long silver hair flowing down his back. There was no doubt that he was indeed Sephiroth, the legendary ex-SOLDIER of the Shinra Company. He glared at the Turk with his green Mako-infused eyes, and spoke, "So you opened the door. Well done."

Tseng felt his gut clench, but forced himself to hold his ground. Even with his pistol, he knew well that the man was unbeatable one-on-one. "This place... what is it?"

Sephiroth faced the wall and raised his arms. "A lost treasure house of knowledge. The wisdom of the Ancients... I am becoming one with the Planet."

One with the Planet?" Tseng asked, his voice wavering.

He turned to him with a glare. "You stupid fools. You have never even thought about it. All the spirit energy of this Planet. All its wisdom... knowledge... I will meld with it all. I will become one with it... it will become one with me."

Tseng couldn't make out anything he was saying. "You can do that?"

"Hahahahaha..." Sephiroth pointed his sword to the altar. "The way... lies here."

Tseng flinched, and in that instant, felt the sensation of cold steel, penetrating his shoulder and down his rib cage. The blade twisted in his body as he collapsed to the floor hard, clutching his wound. He felt his blood spilling out ans saturating his uniform, quickly turning into a huge puddle underneath him. Through it all, he heard Sephiroth speak one last time, his voice cold and crisp.

"Only death awaits you all, but do not fear. For it is through death that a new spirit energy is born."

And with that, the swordsman vanished and left the fallen Turk to die.


	26. Wounded Turk

**[ v ] - εγλ 0007/12/25, 14:55—15:35**

_Where did Sephiroth go? Why didn't he finish me?_

Tseng didn't know how he was still conscious. Leaving the chamber was his only chance at survival, but he didn't know if he had any strength to stand up. With so much blood around him, he thought about maybe swimming his way out, but his destroyed shoulder was not going to allow it.

It took all his willpower to stretch a hand into his pocket, and hit the emergency button on his PHS. He might as well try to get help, even if Elena was probably too far away to reach his signal. As for the Investigation Unit, Tseng hadn't heard back from them in a long time. He couldn't help but wonder if they had all suffered the same fate.

There was a good chance at escape if he allowed his lower body to do the work. Tseng began to wiggle his legs slowly, arranging them so his feet were correctly positioned on the ground. Gritting his teeth, he counted to three silently before throwing himself to his feet, careful to not trip over his blood. He used the wall for balance, leaning against it with his uninjured right shoulder. Tears of agony in his eyes, he glanced around the chamber. He was alone.

_Can I make it back safely?_ He stood against the wall, struggling to breathe through the immense pain. With broken ribs, every breath he took only added to the suffering... but actually being aware of his breathing gave him a tiny sliver of hope. The determined Turk had managed to get to his feet, and now he needed them to carry him out.

He counted to three again before slowly dragging one foot forward... only to tumble back down with a devastating thud. Unbearable pain struck his upper body as it took most of the impact, and he felt his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Moments before he blacked out, he heard the chamber door open, followed by the voice of SOLDIER 1st Class Luxiere.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA! What happened here?!"

* * *

Elena returned to base camp with a huge smile on her face. It wasn't until she looked at the time that she realized she needed to focus on the task at hand. _Report first, then work, then dinner._ It was her first time reporting back to headquarters, but she wasn't nervous and she knew exactly what to say.

"Elena of the Turks speaking. We have gained access to the Temple of the Ancients. The investigation is going smoothly after two hours. If we find anything, we will let you know as soon as possible."

She smiled again when she received an automated thank-you message. Her report had gone through and she could now return to Tseng and resume her investigation.

Elena jogged through the dense forest, but stopped partway when she heard footsteps. Her first instinct was to hide behind a tree and crouch low, and wait for the noise to subside. The footsteps drew closer and closer, and she poked her head out to see who it was.

She saw two men from the Investigation Unit, sprinting in the opposite direction towards base camp. Elena wondered if something had happened... and whether or not she should follow them. She thought about Tseng again before concluding that she had to return to the Temple.

After a hundred or so yards, Elena found herself wincing at the sight of a wounded SOLDIER, writhing ever-so-slightly on the dirt.

"Luxiere!" Elena yelled as she made her way to the swordsman. "What happened?!"

"T-they're... they're 'ere... Avalanche..."

"What?! Avalanche did this!?"

"They went... to the Temple... ugh..." Luxiere whimpered. "I... I thought I could beat them, but they... they had numbers..."

"Oh no! Tseng's in there!" Elena cried as she pulled out a Cure Materia. "And the others..."

" _Cure_ won't help... my ribs... I think... I think they're broken."

If his ribs were broken, then curative magic was definitely not going to help. _Cure_ provided pain relief and not much else, and couldn't be used to fix fractured bones. "Hold on," Elena said, taking out her only potion and placing it beside him. "Be right back. I'll call for help!"

With that, she ran back towards camp.

* * *

Tseng woke to numbness on his shoulder and exploding agony on his ribs. He didn't know where he was at first... but after a quick glance, he realized he was in the front entrance, his back leaning against the wall. He then remembered hearing Luxiere's voice when he was still in the chamber. The 1st Class SOLDIER must have carried him here.

His condition worsened as he sat there, coughing and choking away the last moments of his life. He saw the altar close ahead and wondered if he should close the entrance to the Temple. With nothing more to lose, he limped towards the altar and reached in to retrieve the Keystone. He then leaned back against the altar and waited to die.

"Hey! It's Tseng!"

His eyes slowly opened at the familiar voice... a female voice, and one he recognized all too well. It took a moment for his vision to clear and make out the woman he'd hoped to see, perhaps one last time. It was Aerith!

The Ancient stood before him in full shock, her mouth wide open. Shortly after, Cloud and Tifa appeared and joined her side.

"Tseng?" Cloud gasped—even he looked horrified. "Of the Turks!?"

"Uh... I've... been tricked..." Tseng moaned as pain slapped him for every syllable spoken. "It's not... the Promised Land... Sephiroth's searching for..."

"Sephiroth? He's inside!?

"Look... for yourself." He raised his good arm slowly and pointed at the altar. "Damn... letting Aerith go was the start... of my... bad luck. The President... was wrong..."

" _You're_ wrong," Aerith retorted. "The Promised Land isn't like what you imagined. And I'm not going to help. Either way, there was no way Shinra could have won."

She was right because she knew. Only she knew where the Promised Land was. "P-pretty harsh," Tseng croaked in response. "Sounds like... s-something... you'd say. The Keystone... place it... on... the altar..."

After dropping the Keystone on the ground, he hobbled his way to the closest pillar and rested against it. His eyes closed as he prepared for his death once again. He then heard Cloud speak, "You crying?"

Tseng could hear it; Aerith was shedding tears for him. "Tseng's with our enemy, the Turks, but I've known him since we were little. There's not a lot of people I can say that about. In fact, there are probably only a handful of people in the world who really know me."

Tseng smiled faintly, knowing that Aerith had cared for him after all. Moments later, he felt the ground shake as the Keystone was placed on the altar. Surprised murmurs from Aerith and Tifa broke out as the platform opened, granting them access to the Temple of the Ancients. Tseng wondered if they had what it took to find the Black Materia.

* * *

Back at base camp, Elena ran into the two men she saw earlier. "What are you doing here!? Call help! Luxiere's in trouble!"

"Help is coming, ma'am," one of them answered. "The Rescue Unit from Junon is on the way."

"Luxiere shouldn't have provoked them... what was he thinking?" the other man spoke. "Tseng is badly hurt, too. I'm not sure if he can make it—"

"WHAT!?" Elena screamed. "Oh no no no! Where is he?"

"Oh, you don't know? He was passing out in the Temple. We carried him to the entrance."

She stood motionless for a long moment, staring into space. Tseng had been ambushed... and he was currently in the Temple, while she was still here, at camp. Realizing that, Elena zipped past the two men, grabbed a heaping armful of first-aid supplies from the storage, and dashed into the forest.

Elena sprinted with as much urgency as she could muster, dropping a few items along the way. Ignoring Luxiere, she arrived at the Temple in just three minutes, and ran up the eight-story staircase without breaking stride. She found Tseng in the first room, slumped against the pillar and drenched in blood.

"Tseng!" she cried. "What happened! Did Avalanche do this?"

"El... Elena..."

"Hang in there, sir!" Elena didn't know where the blood came from; she simply pressed against his chest area while taking out whatever bandages she still had. "Please, please hold on! Help is coming!"

"Tell... tell the President..." Tseng grunted, "To... cancel the mission..."

"Help is coming... help is coming, Tseng... please hang in there...!" Tears flowed down Elena's face as she begged for his life and focused on patching him up. She was forced to stop when she felt his hand reaching for her shoulder. His thumb circled her neck and she shivered at the tingling sensation. She put the bandages down and looked him in the eyes.

"Elena... I... I want you to return to Midgar. Do not... worry 'bout me... I'll... I'll be fine."

"No... wh-what...?" Elena murmured in confusion. Leaving him behind was the last thing on her mind. "But sir..."

"I... I trust I'll be fine," he assured her. "Now go... and return safe."

He released his hand from her shoulder, and she wiped some tears off her face. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and stood up. "Y-yes sir. I'll... I'll see you soon."

Tseng nodded back and closed his eyes. "Goodbye... Elena."


	27. Rescue

**[ v ] - εγλ 0007/12/25, 16:15** **—18:40**

Reno took a deep breath of smog as he and Rude stepped out of headquarters. The skies above them had clouded with fumes of Mako shooting out of the Reactors, indicating the start of a typical weekday evening. But today wasn't any other day. It was the 25th of December, a day of celebration with the new year fast approaching.

They headed for the Sector 8 Business District via LOVELESS Avenue, and straight into Goblin's Bar. Although it was just the two of them, they still looked forward to a chance to relax, and celebrate the special occasion together.

"Pretty quiet here," Reno said as he walked up to the counter. There were about a dozen customers scattered across the bar, and three women by the pool tables. "Pint of Phoenix."

"Aye," Rude agreed. "And a pint of Corel Pale Ale for myself."

* * *

Tseng felt the tingling sensation of magical energy spreading throughout his body. Right away, he realized he'd been treated with powerful magic—either _Life_ or _Full Cure_ , slowly bringing him back to consciousness. As his eyes snapped open, he saw Cait Sith and the oversized Mog he was riding on.

"Looks like you're in a bad way, Tseng."

"W-where... where..." He took a moment to realize where he was. "Where's the Black Materia...?"

For a few seconds, the robot stood motionless without a response, and Tseng wondered if it had malfunctioned, "Sorry. I'm trying to operate two units at the same time. It's a little complicated."

"I... I see."

"So the Black Materia—I'm going to let Cloud's crew have it for now," Cait answered. "Better that than Sephiroth getting ahold of it."

Cloud... the young man who was linked with everything that had happened. Two weeks had passed since his reappearance and he was still one of the great unsolved mysteries, yet Tseng felt he was somehow necessary in the battle between Shinra and Sephiroth. _He's just a kid_ , he thought, _A twenty-one-year-old kid with a seventeen-year-old brain._ Regardless, it was better for Cloud to have the Black Materia than Sephiroth.

"Cloud... Cloud gets the Black Materia. Understood."

"And Tseng," Cait continued, "I'll notify HQ of your status."

"...Thank you." Tseng closed his eyes and moved a hand over his wound. His shirt was still soaked with blood, some parts dryer than others, and his body was still wracked by agony. Every breath he took only added to the anguish as the pain relief from the magic started fading.

"As for me," Cait spoke again, "Well, Cloud and the others have found out that I'm spying for the company, but I'm going to stay with them anyway. They're an interesting bunch... or at least, I'm interested in them. Now, hold on—I've got to move you."

There were many more things Tseng wanted to ask, but as he was uncomfortably lifted up by Cait Sith, waves of sharp pain struck his body. He couldn't remember any more after that.

* * *

"Man, this shit is pretty fuckin'..." Reno stopped as he fumbled on his words. With a sour look on his face, he lowered his empty glass slowly and stared into space.

"Shit," Rude finished the sentence, but Reno looked at him dumbly. " _Shit_ is the word you're looking for. This shit is pretty fucking shit."

"HEY! Waitress! Another round for me and my best friend over 'ere."

As the waitress left to get them drinks, Rude turned towards the corner of the bar, where several pool tables were set up. "Those girls have been there ever since we got here."

Reno followed his gaze and squinted at the women. "Not bad, partner. What do you think?"

Rude shrugged. "You and me versus them?"

He shook his head and raised a full glass. "I dunno man, they must be damn good. They'll cream us... but hey, I'm pretty good too. Maybe after a few more drinks."

"Good idea."

The redhead took another glance at the girls. "That blonde chick though... not bad, eh?"

She was an attractive thing with long hair and blue eyes, though a little too small for Rude's liking. "I'd say she's... above average," he commented. "Seven out of ten?"

Reno gasped in astonishment. "You don't think she's hot? Wow..." he said before looking over to her again. "Her or Elena?"

 _"What?"_ Rude spat in confusion. "Dude, I don't know. I'll just pretend Elena's here with us and say Elena."

"Hahahaha!" Reno burst out laughing. Elena or Tifa?"

Rude froze at the very mention of Tifa, which only made Reno laugh harder. Even though she was one of their enemies, the baldhead couldn't help himself. As far as looks went, she was an easy ten out of ten, and he was also amazed by her proficiency in martial arts.

"Jeez... that's a tough one," Reno said. "What's with you and Avalanche chicks, anyway? Remember what happened between you and Chelsea?"

Rude let out a sigh. "Yeah..."

"Then what're you thinkin'? If you ever get the chance, maybe you can convince her to betray Avalanche."

 _Like that'll ever happen... or work out well._ The same thing had happened with Chelsea, who betrayed Avalanche after her feelings for Rude grew too strong. But her betrayal didn't lead anywhere as she believed that enemies couldn't stay together. Consequently, Chelsea ended their relationship with a wish that she could meet Rude again in the next life.

"Ah, fuck," Reno grunted. "Sorry partner, but I think Tifa has the hots for Cloud."

Rude couldn't tell if he was joking or being logical. From his perspective, Cloud and Tifa hadn't interacted with each other all too much. But he knew they were close friends as they had grown up together in Nibelheim. "You mean, the mentally unstable Sephiroth Clone, Cloud Strife?" Rude muttered in a sarcastic tone. After learning about the Reunion Theory and Cloud's role in the experiment, he couldn't help but poke fun at the former infantryman.

But Cloud was deemed a failure, and not exactly a _clone_ like the men in black capes. "Maybe she has the hots for men with big swords," Reno stated as he finished another glass. "What a weird fuckin' guy. He never even made it to SOLDIER."

"Yet he assumes the identity of one, and a 1st Class at that."

As silence settled over them, Reno began to wonder how things would have turned out if his former comrades were still here. He and Rude were best friends, but the Turks had been a much bigger group back then. It didn't quite feel the same celebrating the twenty-fifth without the others. "Hey partner... you ever wonder how all our friends are doin'?"

The twenty-fifth was the day to reminisce, after all. It had been a crazy year.

* * *

Tseng heard a familiar voice as he gained consciousness once again. He couldn't make out the voice right away, but soon felt two sets of arms grabbing his limbs, and gently lifting him off of the Mog. Waves of water swashed beneath him as he realized that someone had carried him to a boat.

"Place him carefully against the wall." This time, Tseng recognized the voice. It was his former mentor, Chief Veld!

"Easy, Maur," came another voice. That voice belonged to Balto, another of Tseng's former subordinates. It seemed like Maur was there as well.

"Alright! So we're headed to Junon?" Maur asked.

"Junon," Veld confirmed, and Tseng felt the man kneeling down to him. "Don't worry, son. You're safe."

 _Why and how did Reeve contact his former comrades and not the company directly? Has he been been in contact with Veld all along? Does Shinra even know where he is, and what happened?_ More and more questions came to his mind but he didn't have the strength to say anything. How long could he hold on for?

Just as the boat to began to sail, he blacked out for the third time.


	28. Elena's Anger

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/26**

Elena was angry at a lot of things. She was angry at herself for being powerless and she was angry at Shinra for their stupid obsession with the Promised Land. But she was mostly angry at Avalanche. She was so angry at them, in fact, that she'd spent the entire night at the firing range, shooting at enlarged printouts of Cloud's face.

She woke up with dry tears and a massive headache after two hours of sleep. The first thing she did was check her phone, only to throw it at the wall in frustration as she found nothing new from the latest report. The Temple had collapsed to the ground, according to last evening's reports, and Tseng was nowhere to be found.

She went to her office without any idea of what to do today. Without Tseng, there was nobody who could assign her work, and even Reno and Rude seemed to have disappeared. She'd tried to contact them all night, seventeen times over a twelve-hour span, but all her calls and texts were left unanswered—not even a single reply.

After twenty minutes of staring at old papers, Elena heard footsteps in the hallway. She got up from her seat immediately and poked her head out the door.

"Reno! Where were you last night?"

The redhead appeared to be in horrible shape. He was dressed unprofessionally as usual with his untucked shirt and unbuttoned uniform, but something was clearly off about his posture and facial expression. "Man, drinking last night was _not_ a good idea..."

"Why..." Elena shook her head. "Why did you ignore my calls? Do you realize that Tseng is hurt?"

"Yeah, I got your message." Reno said, and with a quiet moan, he began to hobble past her.

"That's it?" she asked. "Do you even care that he's hurt? What if he's dead?"

He stopped at the door to his office and turned around. "Course I care. And there's nothing we can do about it. Turks lose members all the time, but we learn to carry on. Let's not lose sight of what we're here to do."

"Do _what_? Do you even have work?"

"No," he said, "But with Tseng gone, Heidi's promoted me to supervisor of the Turks."

"And?"

"Dunno. Do whatever you want."

Elena placed a hand on her waist, clearly unimpressed. "Are you serious? What does that even mean?"

"It means for now, you're off-duty. Now leave me alone."

"Where's Rude?"

This time, Reno gave no response as Elena watched him stumble into his office. How could be so careless? She had thought that he would care... and even if he did, his attitude did nothing to comfort her. And realizing that, she already knew that Rude didn't care either.

* * *

When Tseng woke up, the first thing he noticed was that he was lying on something soft. The second thing he noticed was that his pain had decreased from severe to moderate. He opened his eyes to a small room, with curtained windows that were slightly open. Sunlight flowed through the curtains as the smell of brine and rust filled his nostrils.

He was in Junon.

Finally, he noticed that his upper body was bandaged up, and his lower body had nothing but underwear on. Somebody must have patched him up while he was unconscious. He vaguely remembered being hoisted aboard a ship by his former comrades, Veld, Maur, and Balto. How did they find him before Shinra?

Not long after he woke up, the door slid open and a doctor came in.

"Oh... Mr. Tseng! You're awake! I was just going to begin your treatment."

"...I'm in Junon?" Tseng moaned.

"Yes. Mr. Veld sent you here."

"...Veld is here?"

"He's in Kalm at the moment, doing his business. He said he'll come check on you later."

"...What are the others?"

The doctor gave a confused look. "Others?"

"Balto... and Maur..."

"...Can't say I know who they are. Anyway, you're going to need surgery. We'll start now."

Tseng had plenty more questions but the doctor was clearly not the right person to answer them. _How did Reeve manage to contact Veld? Does Shinra know that he's been taken here? Did anything happen to Elena?_ He wanted to call Rufus to let him know he was alive, but he trusted that Reeve might have done it already.

As the doctor started the operation, Tseng prayed for Veld to be by his side when he woke up.

* * *

After two hours of nothingness, Elena stormed into Reno's office and slammed her hands on his desk. "Send me to go after AVALANCHE. I am _not_ going to let them get away with what they did."

Reno looked up from his computer for one second and looked back down. "No."

"No? Why not? After what they did to him?" she whined. "You're the supervisor now. Just send me on this mission and I'll handle—"

"Elena, drop it," he told her. "You're not thinking straight. How are you so sure it was Avalanche, anyway?"

"They were at the Temple! But why won't you let me go after them?"

"Okay sure, it was Avalanche. Then what?" Reno rumbled. "You're just gonna get yourself killed if you go. Tseng wouldn't want that, would he?"

"I..." Elena opened her mouth but found herself fumbling on her words. "I just—"

"Don't let emotions get the better of you, kid."

"I just want to do what's right," she stated in a shaky voice. "If it's gonna kill me, so be it. We _need_ to bring Avalanche to justice."

Reno let out an annoyed sigh. "Revenge is not what we do. And we certainly don't do what's right. We do our job. And I ain't gonna just send you on a suicide mission alone. Just... drop it."

Again, Elena shook her head in disagreement. "I can't lose if I have an army behind me."

"Aaahhh..." Reno groaned. She was like a demanding little child, always failing to understand the simplest things. He wasn't going to comfort her like Tseng. "Why don't you talk to Heidi then? I'm sure he'd love to see you put an end to Avalanche."

She paused momentarily before nodding at his suggestion. Heidegger was the boss of the Turks, after all. "Fine, I will."

And with that, Elena left his office and headed for the elevator. She didn't know if Heidegger was in the building, but she knew where his office was. If he was there, she just needed his approval to do what she wanted—to kill every last one of Avalanche.

The elevator stopped on the sixty-sixth floor, and Elena wasn't sure why she was starting to feel nervous. Maybe it was the fact that she had never spoken with Heidegger one-on-one. The Head of Public Security had always seemed like a kind man, despite Reno and Rude's obvious hatred towards him. She had never questioned why he was always looked down upon by her colleagues. Reno had called him a moron and a fuckwit, and someone who didn't know how to read or write. Elena didn't believe any of that to be true, but it did make her wonder if Tseng felt the same way.

She cleared her throat before knocking on his door. There was no turning back from here.

"Come in."

She pushed the door open and entered, only to notice a second person in the room, sitting by his desk. The woman had long blonde hair and wore a sparkling red dress. Was she Scarlet, the Head of Advanced Weaponry? Elena flinched as she walked forward and nodded to the two Executives. "Sir—and ma'am."

"Elena of the Turks," Heidegger greeted with a smile. "What brings you here?"

She saw Scarlet rolling her eyes. "I'm sorry... is now not the right time?"

"No, no. I was expecting you here after what happened yesterday. Take a seat."

"T-thank you..." Elena smiled as she sat down. Scarlet was here so she knew she had to speak fast and get to the point. "Sir, I... I want to go after Avalanche, the people who injured Tseng at the Temple of the Ancients."

" _Injured_ Tseng?" Scarlet cut in. "Tseng is dead."

Elena felt her heart sink for a moment... only to look up as she heard a soft chuckle from Heidegger. "Y-you're laughing, sir? If Tseng is dead, why are you laughing?"

"I'm not," Heidegger denied quickly.

"You are," Scarlet teased, drawing another smile from him. "Stop laughing! Kya haa haa haa!"

"Oh, shut up," he scolded her before looking back at the dumbstruck rookie. "I wasn't laughing, my dear. So you wanna go after Avalanche, eh?"

"They... they deserve to die. For... for what they did," she said, her voice faltering several times. She couldn't believe what she'd just seen. How could they mock Tseng like this?

"Finally, a Turk with common sense," Heidegger replied. "You have my authorization to begin as early as tomorrow. However, I must inform you that we are currently experiencing a drastic shortage of soldiers in the Shinra Army. Therefore, I can only allow at most two junior infantrymen to accompany you."

"Um... of course, sir," Elena responded with a slow nod. "Thank you."

Now what? She had gotten what she wanted—Heidegger's approval—but as she sat there and stared at his stupid smile, she realized how much she wanted to punch him—him _and_ her. But they were Shinra Executives, her _superiors_ , and it took everything in her power to stop herself from making the biggest mistake of her life. So she smiled nervously at them instead, before leaving her seat and turning towards the door.

"Take the Black Materia from them while you're at it," Scarlet demanded, just as Elena was about to head out. "It's sickening how you guys couldn't get the job done yesterday."

Elena turned around to face Scarlet, and forced herself to tuck her bottom lip between her teeth. She took another moment to digest the woman's words before muttering, "I... I will, ma'am."

"Now I _would_ let one of my weapons assist you in your battle," Scarlet snorted, "But from my experience, people are too stupid and don't know how to use them. I can't trust anybody except myself."

Unable to think out a response, Elena nodded and looked down at the floor. Silence ensued as she noted the underlying vileness in Scarlet's tone. "I... should be fine without your weapons..."

"If you're unsure about anything," Heidegger interrupted, "Go talk to Reno. He's your new supervisor."

"Y-yes sir. Thank y—"

Elena suddenly froze as Scarlet kicked her chair back and rose to her feet. The older woman whispered something as she marched her way to the Turk, who didn't have time to prepare for what was coming next.

"...Ma'am?"

She slapped her.

"Don't you _dare_ screw up," Scarlet hissed. "The Black Materia is _mine_ , you hear me?"

Elena said nothing as she cowered against the door, covering her right cheek. After a few aching seconds, she raised her head slowly and glimpsed at the woman with one eye. The slap didn't hurt as much as it had shocked her. In fact, shock was the only thing she felt—no anger. "Y-yes ma'am..."

"Get _out_."

She went straight for the washroom to gather her thoughts. _She did NOT just slap me... WHY DID SHE SLAP ME? And Heidegger... WHY WAS HE LAUGHING? WHAT THE HELL JIST HAPPENED!?_ Elena was starting to see why Reno and Rude hated Heidegger... and it wouldn't surprise her one bit if they felt the same way about Scarlet.


	29. The Nightmare

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/27**

"Tseng. Can you hear me?"

Tseng turned around as he heard the familiar voice. There was nothing around him but tall evergreen trees. He wasn't sure where he was or who was calling him.

"Hehe. Over here!"

He searched a little harder, and saw the girl peeking out of a trunk.

"...Aerith?"

"Tseng! I'm so happy you're alright."

He watched her as she gracefully walked towards him, only to stop by another tree. As she stood there, he took the time to look around his surroundings. Trees towered over him in every direction, with a mysterious white light in the center, filtering through the thick forest.

"...What is this place?" he asked.

"This is the Sleeping Forest, a forest that leads to the City of the Ancients," Aerith answered, her voice echoing to him. "It's only a matter of time before Sephiroth uses the Black Materia and summons Meteor. Only a survivor of the Cetra, like me, can prevent that from happening."

Tseng frowned. "Sephiroth has the Black Materia?"

Aerith walked towards the center and pointed ahead at the white light. "The secret is up here. It feels like I'm being led by something..."

"...What is Meteor?"

She shook her head. "Don't worry, it'll be all over soon. You stay here and let me handle the rest."

Not knowing what to say, he stood on the spot and watched her walk along the path, away from him. After a few steps, she turned back to face him and again pointed at the light.

"All these years... you were protecting me, weren't you?" she said. "Now it's my turn to protect you... and everyone in this world. Goodbye."

After a quick wave, she took off running, deep into the forest. "Aerith!" Tseng cried, reaching his arm out. "Come back!"

She didn't turn back and he tried running after her, but his feet wouldn't carry him. Tseng could only watch in horror as she got further and further away and vanished into the light.

* * *

Eventually, he woke in the same soft bed, his heart beating fast. It was only a dream, but something about it felt real. He wasn't sure how to describe it.

"You okay, son?"

It was another familiar voice... only this time very real. His eyes snapped wide open and he came face to face with the person he'd hoped to see, standing over his bedside.

"...Chief Veld," he greeted, turning his head towards him. "Just a nightmare."

The former Turk commander was a fifty-five-year-old man with unkempt brown hair and a scar across his left cheek. A trusted mentor to Tseng, he was deeply respected by his subordinates even after defecting from Shinra. Like all of the former Turks, he had spent the last few months in exile. Tseng hadn't expected to see him again so soon.

"Your surgery was successful " Veld said. "How are you feeling?"

Tseng closed his eyes and smiled weakly. "Never thought I'd see you again."

Veld put a hand on his shoulder. "I've been bringing everyone back together, just in case we're needed. With Sephiroth back, the world needs all the help it can get."

Tseng couldn't understand how they could help, considering that Shinra believed them to be dead, and wanted them dead. The renegade Turks would only do well to stay out of Shinra's way. "How did Reeve manage to contact you?" Tseng asked. It was another question that had bothered him for a while.

"I'm not too sure myself," Veld replied. "But the reason _why_ he contacted me is quite clear. Do you know why?"

Veld had always enjoyed testing his subordinates with questions. But Tseng didn't bother to think of an answer this time, even if it was supposed to be obvious. "Uh..."

"It's likely that Reeve has informed Reno and Rude, perhaps Rufus, that you're alright," Veld answered for him. "But Heidegger and Scarlet believe you dead. Best to keep it that way."

"..."

"Heidegger, I'm not so sure what he thinks of you. But Reeve and I believe that Scarlet is still targeting you, Reno, and Rude after what happened three months ago. If she knew you were still alive, there's a good chance that she'd take your injuries as an opportunity to eliminate you."

"I... see..." Tseng found himself at a loss for words. Scarlet had wanted to punish the remaining Turks for their traitorous actions, agreeing with the former President's decision to exterminate them. It was Rufus, then-Vice President, who had prevented that from happening. Scarlet had been bitter ever since and she was never one to let go of grudges lightly. "Rufus may be President, but it doesn't mean he has control over everyone," Tseng said.

Veld nodded. "Correct. Heidegger and Scarlet have the Shinra Army behind them, the power to do anything under the President's nose. Hojo is a perfect example of someone who does things without the President's approval."

"Hmm..." Tseng groaned softly. "I suppose I won't be able to contact anyone from the company until I've fully recovered."

Veld sighed and shook his head. "I wouldn't recommend it. The call could be traced if you try to contact anyone from Shinra. It's a risk we simply cannot take."

"...Has the doctor said anything? About my condition."

"You'll recover in three weeks' time, he said."

"...Who knows what will happen between now and then."

As silence fell over them, Tseng was reminded of his rookie days when he was just starting out as a Turk. He remembered the time he was trapped in a sinking ship, and instead of calling for help, he urged Veld to leave him and run for safety. However, Veld chose to save Tseng's life by risking his own, resulting in injuries that left him with severe facial damages.

As Veld was recovering in the hospital, Tseng had been the one standing at his bedside. Completing the mission was all Veld had cared about, but his decision to save Tseng was an example of what he wanted the Turks to be: loyal to the mission, but good people at heart. Tseng was forever grateful that his mentor had come to save his life.

"Our comrades will be coming here later," Veld said, his eyes lingering on him. "They'll keep you company for a while."

Tseng sighed. "I... see. How is Felicia?"

Veld turned away briefly, and for a moment, Tseng saw hurt in his eyes. Felicia was his daughter, Avalanche's former leader, known by many as Elfé. Tseng had wondered how she'd been, having to adjust to a new life, after many years of physical and emotional suffering. But it was a sensitive subject he knew his mentor wasn't exactly comfortable talking about, even if all he wanted was to make sure everything was fine.

After a full minute, Veld finally spoke in a solemn tone, "She's well. The elders in Cosmo Canyon have been taking care of her."

* * *

There was one problem with Elena's mission to kill Avalanche, and it wasn't the two junior troopers accompanying her. Reeve was unresponsive and she couldn't find him anywhere in the Shinra Building. And without Reeve, there was no easy way she could find the terrorists.

So she was still in her office, telling her troops that the mission could be delayed until tomorrow. Work had been a mess ever since the failed mission at the Temple. There was no structure... only confusion, and her lingering anger towards Heidegger and Scarlet certainly didn't help. Reno, meanwhile, was pretending to be busy... while Rude was being bored with research. It didn't surprise Elena that things hadn't quite been the same. Because without Tseng, they weren't.

"Still here, Laney?"

It was the first time Reno had called her 'Laney'. She looked over to him at the door and raised a brow, but said nothing.

Her silence provoked him to walk forward, which caused her to close the windows on her computer screen. "Still nothing on Reeve?"

"Nope... he can't be reached anywhere," she said. "Even President Rufus is trying to contact him."

"Hojo is returning to the company tomorrow," Reno announced. "You know, the fugly mad scientist? Head of the Science Department?"

Elena blinked. She had never seen Hojo in person, but she'd heard nothing but horrible things about him. "It's got something to do with the Jenova Reunion Theory, right?"

"Right. He might help us find Sephiroth," Reno said, nodding. "Anyway, Rufus is holding an executive meeting tomorrow. And we're all invited."

"But what about my mission?" Elena asked, showing a look of concern.

He shrugged. "Do whatever you'd like. You can take care of yourself."

"...Are you sure?"

"I thought I was your supervisor?" Reno smiled, and Elena rolled her eyes. "'Sides, no matter how many times I say no, you won't listen..."

She shot him a glare. "What are you saying? I got Heidegger's permission, you know. It's just... ugh, it's Reeve now, holding everything back."

"So you're wasting time now, doin' nothing."

"Look who's talking," she snorted. " _I_ was actually finishing up paperwork. And after that, I'm off to train."

Suddenly, the door swung wide open and Reno and Elena turned to see Rude come in. He was holding some kind of tome, his hand slotted into its pages like a bookmark.

"I've found something rather disturbing," he reported, walking up to Elena's desk. "It's about the Jenova Project."

Reno looked between his colleagues before pointing at the tome. "That's from Hojo's office."

Rude nodded. "Correct. Dated twenty-seven years ago. You ready for this?"

"..."

He took a breath and revealed, "Hojo is Sephiroth's father."

" _What_?!"

"Hojo is Sephiroth's father," he repeated himself before opening the tome. "Project S, code for Project Sephiroth, involves a direct infusion of Jenova cells to a host before the subject is born," he read aloud. "Like Project G, it is theorized that the subject, once born, will gain the abilities of an Ancient as we have long envisioned. Dr. Gast Faremis does not approve of this method, predicting that the host will experience long term side effects and emotional suffering. However, it is of utmost importance that the experiment is performed for scientific _merit_ and we are fortunate that Dr. Lucrecia Crescent has agreed to use her unborn child as a test subject. The first maternal and paternal contributors to Project S are Dr. Lucrecia Crescent and Dr. Hojo."

"So he experimented on his own kid?" Elena asked, staring wide-eyed at Rude. "That's disgusting! This sicko's returning to the company?"

"What. The. Fuck." Reno grimaced as a disturbing image formed in his mind. "How did Hojo get someone to fuck him?"

"Ew!" Elena punched his arm. "Reno!"

"...Takes two psychopaths and Jenova cells to create one fucked up super warrior," Rude added while trying to hold his laughter. "Wonder what happened to Lucrecia."

"Does Sephiroth even know his real parents?" Elena asked, and he shook his head.

"Not a chance," Reno answered for him. "He's only been told that his mom is Jenova."

"I don't think he knows who Lucrecia is," Rude guessed. "His real mother."

"Jeez..."

"Goddammit, Hojo..." Reno muttered. "You sick fuck."

Rude smiled as he closed the book shut. "Should be interesting tomorrow."


	30. Executive Meeting

**[ ν ] - εγλ 0007/12/28, 10** **:00** **—10:30**

The Turks and Executives were in the Floor 66 conference room. Reno was in his usual seat on the left side of the table, directly across from Rude. Elena was seated closer to the President, in Tseng's place between Reno and Heidegger. The closest seats to Rufus were taken by Palmer on his right and Scarlet on his left, and with one vacant seat between Scarlet and Rude, it meant only one thing: Reeve wasn't here.

"Let's begin the meeting," Rufus said, looking at the empty seats. "Though I would've liked to see at least Hojo show up." Pausing for a moment, he picked up a bottle of water and drank from it. "We'll start with the Turks," he called to Reno. "Anything you found that might be worth sharing?"

"Yeah," Reno answered smugly. "Cloud Strife is mentally unstable."

Rufus blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"He has Sephiroth's cells inside him," Rude muttered, his voice flat. "Five years ago, Hojo started his experiment on the Jenova Reunion Theory and the Nibelheim survivors were his test subjects. Cloud Strife was among the survivors."

"...And how does this make him unstable?"

"They were turned into Sephiroth Clones, sir," Rude answered with a shrug.

"Mindless puppets like the men in black capes?" Elena added, but made it sound like a question. "Cloud's different, though."

"...That makes literally no sense," Scarlet interrupted, bringing a palm to her face.

Reno glared at her, and then Rufus. "Hojo theorized that the clones will eventually return to the main body... whatever the hell that means. We think Sephiroth can manipulate them or something."

"But the blonde girl _just_ said that Cloud's different from them," Scarlet pointed out.

"...Her name's Elena," Rude said. The woman snorted in response.

"Cloud _is_ different," Reno continued. "All the evidence points that he's unstable. He didn't escape Shinra Mansion on his own, did he? Zack got him outta there. And today he claims to be a former 1st Class SOLDIER, but he never even made it to SOLDIER. He's not in his right mind."

Scarlet turned to Rufus. "Does that answer your question, Mr. President?"

Heidegger let out a chuckle as Rufus looked up at the ceiling in confusion. "We'll leave Hojo to answer it."

As the words left his mouth, the door opened and Reeve stepped into the room. Everyone turned to him as he quietly walked to his chair.

"Where have you been?" Rufus asked as soon as Reeve sat down.

"Sir, I apologize for not answering earlier," he started, a touch of emotion in his voice. "It's been a rough couple days for Avalanche, and I'll tell you everything."

As surprised as Elena was to see Reeve, she scowled at the mention of Avalanche. Because of them, it had been a rough couple days for _her_.

"We found Sephiroth at the Forgotten City, also known as the City of the Ancients," Reeve spoke slowly. "And Sephiroth... he... he killed Aerith."

"He _what_?!"

"She's gone."

The room fell silent for a moment. _Aerith was dead?_ She was the last Ancient in the world, but clearly no threat to a powerful warrior like Sephiroth. If anything, she was the most harmless among the Avalanche members. Maybe she'd gotten in his way, and wasn't quick to defend herself like the others.

During the silence, Reno and Rude thought about Tseng. They wondered how he would've thought of her death, knowing how much she'd meant to him. If he was alive, he had the right to know before anyone in the room.

"...Why did he kill her?" Rufus finally spoke.

"We don't know," Reeve said, his voice filled with sorrow. "After our visit to the Temple of the Ancients, she went to the Forgotten City by herself. When we found her there, Sephiroth came out of nowhere and killed her before our very eyes. No one knows why she took off on her own in the first place."

More silence followed before Rufus asked, "And what happened after that?"

"Cloud tried to run after him, but he was gone before we knew it." He frowned slightly. "But we know where Sephiroth is headed next. The Promised Land waits for him north."

Rufus raised a brow. "North?"

"The Northern Cave!" Scarlet exclaimed, her eyes shining with wonder. "The Planet's Core, deep inside the North Crater, with overflowing Lifestream in its purest form. Legend has it that the Lifestream erupts from the Crater every hundred years..."

"It could truly be the Promised Land," Heidegger added before breaking into laughter. "Gya haa haa!"

Rufus touched his chin as he thought about the opportunity. "Why haven't we considered the North Crater before?"

"We have," Scarlet replied. "But your father didn't think it was worth chasing a place without any proof that the Promised Land was actually there. He thought we needed an Ancient. What an idiot!"

"The Whirlwind Maze is very dangerous to navigate without a powerful airship," Rude added.

"We must head there next," Rufus said, finally interested in something. "Palmer, is the _Highwind_ ready?"

"Eh?" Palmer gulped, his eyes widening. "It should be ready in about two days."

The President shook his head in disappointment. "You said the exact same thing last week," he scolded, causing him to sink into his chair. "I made a huge mistake, thinking you'd do a better job than Heidegger at repairing airships."

"But..." Palmer stammered. "But—"

"But?" Heidegger barked, his jaw clenched. "You tryna pull an excuse outta your butt?"

"Hey-hey! That's not what I was trying to say!"

"Enough," Rufus commanded, glaring at the two men. He then turned to Reeve. "Avalanche still has the Black Materia, I'm assuming?"

Reeve paused for a moment before shaking his head. "As of now, Sephiroth has the Black Materia."

Almost everyone in the room looked surprised. "Uhhh..." Elena raised her voice. "How did that happen?"

"Sephiroth manipulated Cloud into giving it to him," he said. "How it happened, I'm not so sure."

"He _manipulated_ him?" Scarlet spat, a confused look on her face. "How is that even possible?"

"See," Reno spoke, grinning at her. "Told ya he's unstable."

Scarlet's scowl intensified. "Ugh! I'm not buying any of this crap."

"...What does Sephiroth plan to do with the Black Materia?" Rufus asked.

"He claims that it can summon Meteor, the Ultimate Destructive Magic," Reeve exclaimed. "A spell that can _injure_ the Planet."

Rufus didn't like the sound of that. "Injure the Planet?"

"And exactly what can he accomplish by doing that?" Reno queried.

Reeve took a deep breath. "Once Meteor strikes, he wants to meld with the Planet's Lifestream and become a 'God'. I'm not sure if it can be done, but you need great spiritual energy to use the Black Materia. One person's power alone won't do it."

"And that energy can be found in the Promised Land," Rufus noted.

"How does he know so much about the Black Materia and Meteor?" Elena asked.

"He claims to have traveled through the Lifestream to gain the knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients," Reeve said. "He's actually not an Ancient like we believed."

Rufus swallowed some water and sighed. "We've got to hunt him down. The northern landscapes are empty, so he'll have nowhere to run from an airstrike."

"None of this is making any sense!" Scarlet snapped, rather suddenly. "What fairy tale world are we living in? Injuring the Planet? Becoming a 'God'?"

"Gya haa haa!" Heidegger leaned back on his chair. "But y'see, this finally gives us the opportunity to visit the Promised Land! And we know exactly where it is!"

Rufus turned to him and frowned. "Wipe that pathetic smirk off your face. Do you not care that the world is facing a crisis?"

"Gya..."

In the silence that followed for about half a minute, no one dared to make any movement. Rufus moved his eyes around everyone, back and forth several times before stopping at Palmer.

"I want the _Highwind_ prepared as soon as possible," he commanded. "We're heading to Junon tonight and flying north _tomorrow._ We must find the Promised Land before Avalanche and Sephiroth."

Palmer nodded. "Yes sir."

"The Shinra Army hasn't done a good job of tracking down Sephiroth," Rufus continued, glowering at Heidegger again. "Maybe it's because we're not getting replacements fast enough. How a small group like Avalanche manages to find him so easily boggles my mind. I'm sick of them running amok and always being one step ahead of us."

"With the Black Materia in Sephiroth's hands," Reeve spoke, "We can't have anything slow down Avalanche at the moment. Shinra—"

"No," Rufus interrupted, stopping him with a raised hand. "We're beating them to the Promised Land and that's final. If anything, I want the terrorists apprehended... and if the situation warrants it, executed."

"Sounds like a job for us," Reno said with a smirk.

"But sir—"

"You with us or against us, Reeve?" Scarlet rolled her eyes. "The terrorists should've been killed a long time ago!"

"That's not what I meant," Reeve argued. "I'm trying to say that the Black Materia would be safe in anyone's hands except Sephiroth's..."

"Oh, stop being stupid," she scoffed. "It would provide great research material in Shinra's hands. And perhaps newfound power for my weapons!"

"You still don't understand what I'm trying to say..." Reeve sighed. "And it's clear you don't understand what _you're_ saying, either."

"You fool. Of course I know what I'm talking about. It is _you_ who—"

"Stop!" Rufus shouted, immediately drawing another silence. "The last thing I want is Shinra Executives fighting over petty things... and doing whatever they can to undermine my authority." When he saw Scarlet scowl at Reeve, he shook his head. "This includes you, Scarlet. I'm not even sure what you've been up to regarding the Huge Materia project."

Scarlet smiled. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"Oh really? Then I'm expecting a report from you today."

The room turned quiet once again, this time for about seven seconds. "Sir?" Elena called to Rufus. "If you want Avalanche executed, count on me."

"...You?" He locked his eyes on her young appearance. " _You_ of all people?"

His response sounded as though she'd said something dumb. Elena simply ignored his tone and continued, "Heidegger has authorized me to go after them." Her words came out fast. "And with the help of Cait Sith, I should be able to find them easily."

Rufus lowered his head. "Alright. You and Reeve will work together to track down Avalanche. Prepare well because we can't afford to lose another Turk right now." He pointed to Reno and Rude after a short pause. "One of you can join her if you'd like."

"Sure," the redhead replied with a shrug.

"I'd like one Turk to accompany us to the North Crater." Rufus looked over to the baldhead. "Rude."

"Yes sir."

Suddenly, the door slid open and revealed the man whom everyone had long expected.

Not a single person dared to greet him. Professor Hojo smiled wryly to himself as he trudged towards a vacant seat, his back hunched over like a question mark. Wearing his usual white lab coat, and his black hair in a ponytail, he took the seat beside Rude before greeting the President with a curt nod. "Heading north, sir?"

Rufus nodded back. "That's the plan."

"Hee hee hee," Hojo giggled, his eyes glittering behind his glasses. "Then allow me to join you."

"...Why?"

"Sephiroth will be there," he replied quickly. "But you won't be able to find him without my help."

"Enlighten us. What exactly is the Reunion Theory?" Rufus asked, a mystery that had bothered him for a while.

Hojo waved a finger at him and smirked defiantly. "A scientist such as myself cannot afford to make any mistakes or false assumptions. The theory must be proven first... only then will I explain everything."

Rufus frowned in disapproval. "What of the black-caped men? And Cloud Strife?"

His expression turned blank. "Cloud Strife?"

"Avalanche's leader and former SOLDIER... you don't know? He's also after Sephiroth."

Hojo smiled while shaking his head. "Next question."

"Is this a joke?" Rufus was already annoyed. Hojo continued to look down at the table, smiling smugly. "How are you so sure that the Promised Land is in the North Crater?"

"...Promised Land," Hojo murmured after a pause, still avoiding eye contact with everyone. "Don't be ridiculous."

Rufus sighed again. He hadn't expected the scientist to come here just to act like a little troll. "Do you know anything about Meteor?" he asked.

This time, Hojo slowly raised his head towards the ceiling. "The Ultimate Destructive Magic?" he mumbled, squinting his eyes. "You'd have to ask someone else about that. Ideally, a biologist who is well-versed in the history of the Cetra."

"...Professor Gast," Reeve murmured.

"Yes! Hahaha!" Hojo cackled loudly. "And to this day, I still wonder what happened to that man. Hee hee!"

"Enough laughter, Hojo," Rufus ordered. "You seem to be in no hurry to reveal all the secrets you keep to yourself. We'll take you along to the Promised Land... but I want to make one thing clear." He took a drink of water and gave Hojo one last chance to look him in the eyes. "No one here likes you or trusts you," he said bluntly. "You're only alive because your knowledge is invaluable. Understood?"

Hojo's expression didn't change. "I am grateful for this opportunity," he said, finally turning to Rufus. "But believe me when I say that any disciplinary action towards me will result in Shinra's downfall."

Rufus nodded cautiously. "Reno and Elena may begin today," he commanded, turning to the two Turks. "I want the rest of you in Junon headquarters tomorrow morning. Got it?"

"Yes sir," everyone said in unison.

"Dismissed."


End file.
